


Puzzle With a Piece Missing

by knightswatch



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Clairvoyant!Nagisa, Fantasy, Hunter!Ai, Hunter!Haru, Hunter!Rin, M/M, Magic, Modern Fantasy, Rating May Change, Warden!Makoto, Warden!Sejiuurou
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-20 20:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3663444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightswatch/pseuds/knightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tiny pieces come to me every day<br/>Still I wait<br/>Things are falling into place<br/>But so much time goes to waste</p><p>I stretch and shift<br/>These parts won't fit<br/>I can chop and change all I like<br/>Rearranging this won't make it right<br/>---<br/>Demon/Supernatural Hunter!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I changed the summary to lyrics from the Gotye song Puzzle with a Piece Missing. You're not missing out, the old summary was awful.

With a final lurch, the box stopped moving. Ai came to a stop with it, crouched half behind it to shove it with his shoulder. He whined, standing and giving the cardboard an annoyed kick, leaning his head on the doorframe on which it had gotten stuck. It didn't seem like it would be getting through without him picking it up.

With a little sigh, he crouched next to it again, slotting his fingers through the handles cut into each side and pulling it up off the ground. It was a strain, the cardboard threatening to give under the weight of its contents. Ai twisted it in the frame, trying to pass it through without dropping it.

He yelped in surprise when it was grabbed from the other side of the door and tilted sideways, being pulled through without more struggling. Cheeks flushed he followed it into the room, scratching the back of his head before taking it back from his mysterious helper.

The boy was tall, Ai only really came up to his shoulder, and both his hair and eyes were a vibrant shade of crimson. Ai felt safe in assuming this was the person he'd be rooming with, and he set the box down on the desk at which he'd gathered most of his possessions. He could feel the boys eyes following him as he struggled to lift it high enough to set down before turning with a smile that was perhaps a little more bright than required.

"I'm Nitori Aiichirou, I'm moving in here today," he bobbed a polite bow, tilting his head a little as his roommate smirked in response.

"I figured that one out myself, thanks. I'm Matsuoka Rin... Mind if I take the bottom?" He raised an eyebrow and Ai nodded too quickly. The smirk on Rin's face had revealed his sharp teeth and he couldn't help but stare at them.

"U-um are you," he stopped half way through the question as Rin's head snapped to face him. He knew exactly what he wanted to ask, but if his impression of Rin was wrong it would only make him sound crazy. Not something he wanted on the first day. 

He pushed silver hair away from his face, nudging a toe awkwardly at the ground as Rin continued staring before shaking his head and turning back to the box. Rin didn't seem interested enough to press the issue, instead he continued stretching his sheets over the lower bunk.

Opening the box up Ai smiled at the books it contained. They were all old, bound mostly in leather and he pulled them out one by one, setting them on the small shelf that sat between the desks, trying not to take up too much space.

The silence that filled the room wasn't quite to the point of being awkward, but to Ai's ears it didn't really feel companionable either. He wasn't given to long stretches of quiet and his the tips of his fingers itched as he tried to think of something to say.

He was saved it seemed, by Rin taking notice of the books he'd unpacked. He leaned close to the shelf, blinking as he read over the titles before nodding.

"What role do you take?" He questioned, looking up from the shelf with an eyebrow raised.

"U-um, I'm a hunter," Ai stumbled out after a second, cursing himself for failing to sound confident in it.

Rin blinked at that, his eyebrows knitting close together. Ai knew he was taking closer stock of his slim muscles, round face and too bright blue eyes. It wasn't a surprise, he was aware that he didn't really have the look of a hunter.

"Huh," Rin mumbled out finally before simply shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a hunter, hope you don't mind working solo. I'm not big on the partner thing."

"A-ah, oh," Ai flushed at that, turning back to unpacking his things. He didn't particularly mind the idea of hunting by himself though he knew it wouldn't go over near as well as Rin seemed to think it would.

A boisterous laugh from the door made him cringe a little before lifting his head. The person leaning in the doorway was taller even than Rin, with broad shoulders. His hair was red as well, though brighter in tone and shorter than Rin's. His eyes were yellow, clever, and currently as full of laughter as the rest of his face.

"Ai-chan! You moved in without me," the pout on his face looked out of place and only made Ai roll his eyes, shrugging.

"Please don't call me that," he grumbled out, scratching the back of his head. "You were late, anyway Sejiuurou-kun."

Sejiuurou shrugged at that, seeming unaffected by the accusation of his own tardiness. Instead, he turned to Rin with a wide smile stretching across his cheeks.

"You're Matsuoka-kun, right? Glad you're settled in," he smiled as Rin regarded him with mild annoyance. "Mikoshiba Sejiuurou. Warden and Captain. Ai-chan's-"

He stopped mid-sentence, thinking for a moment and catching Ai's blue eyes glaring at him. It wasn't effective from his short stature, but Sejiuurou shrugged his shoulders. "He's glad to be working with you too, I'm sure."

Rin's eyebrow quirked at that, shaking his head and waving a hand in return.

"Nah, I'm good on all that. I do better by myself," he shrugged once more, leaning under the bars supporting the top bunk and settling himself on the mattress. It was a surprise when the refusal caused the hulking warden to glower down at him. His expression changed rapidly emotion flickering in his bright eyes.

"We don't do solo hunts," he intoned seriously, crossing his arms over his chest. He heard Ai sigh softly at him but decided to ignore it. "It's a risk that no one actually needs to take."

"And having someone along to drag me down is a risk I don't need to take," Rin's response was flat, leaning on his elbows and giving Sejiuurou a glare every ounce as intense as the one he got. "If he's good he should be fine by himself."

"It's not your call to make," Sejiuurou snorted, glancing down at the way Ai wrung his fingers together nervously. He deflated a little at the sight, shaking his head. "Maybe we can revisit it after you two have made a few runs together."

"Or we could revisit it after I've done them myself," the toothy smirk he'd given Ai before was back on his face, and he cocked an eyebrow. "If you're so worried then you hunt with him."

"The school's too big not to have a vanguard," Sejiuurou rubbed his hands over his face, frustration growing. 

Ai sighed a little louder, managing to catch Sejiuurou's full attention this time. He looked up with a beam that easily put the moon to shame.

"I'll be just fine by myself Sejiuurou-kun. I'm prepped for it," he smiled a little more brightly. It melted Sejiuurou's argument entirely and he just sighed and waved his hand, trying to ignore the knot of concern his stomach was tying itself into.

"Alright, settle in then you two," he grumbled, turning and pulling the door shut as he turned back to his own room. Ai smiled, returning to packing his clothes as tightly as he could into the small dresser.

"You know him, then?" Rin asked after a long moment, looking mildly interested at best. Ai hesitated before nodding, scratching the back of his head.

"Um, well yeah," he shrugged and was glad to find that Rin didn't seem interested enough to press the issue. "You've got some experience it seems."

Rin shrugged, watching Ai scramble with his bedding up onto the top bunk, losing one of the three pillows he was trying to cling in his arms in the process. He leaned over, staring down at it with a sigh before turning to arrange it the way he wanted.

“Yeah, I spent the last two years working in Australia,” there was a coo of interest from above him, but when Rin didn't say anything more about it, he seemed to give up on the conversation for now.

It took Ai most of the night to fully unpack his things, leaving him wondering how Rin was already finished before he'd really gotten started. His things were so neat on top of that, where Ai had decided that his desk could be just a little messy. He wasn't much for organizing. 

Rin observed his roommate flitting around the room while pretending he wasn't, laying back with a book in his hand until faking reading it got boring. He was a curious specimen for a hunter; enough to pique Rin's interest just a little. He was just so small; it didn't look like he'd be much of anything to take down in a fight. Even the sheathed knife that he'd pulled from a small bag and stared at for a moment couldn't have been longer than Rin's forearm.

“You're new at this, right?” He questioned finally. Ai nearly jumped as he spoke, turning with a smile on his face, teeth digging into his lower lip.

“Yeah. I'm not scared or anything though, I know what to expect,” he sounded like he was trying to comfort Rin almost. He shook his head with a short grunt, raising an eyebrow.

“Is that right? Facing a demon can be pretty varied,” Rin leaned halfway out of the bunk, eyebrow still raised curiously. “Especially for your first time.”

Ai nods at that, leaning his back against the desk, the leather encased knife still in his hand. His grip on it just shy of turning his knuckles white. Not that it would be much of a difference with the pale tone of his skin. His smile was almost patient, and Rin realized he'd probably been told all of these things already.

“What was your first hunt like?” His voice sounded so genuinely curious and for a moment Rin's taken aback by it. Then he shrugs, relaxing back onto the bed.

“Not so bad, I guess. It was uh, Australians call 'em Bogeys but here I think they're just called Imps. They aren't hard for me to fight though,” he glanced up after speaking, almost flushing at the admiration shining on Ai's face. He was really too easily impressed, and too easy to read.

“That's really amazing, Matsuoka-senpai,” Ai praised, his tone shyer than before. “Imps work in packs, right?”

“Yeah, generally. It wasn't a lot of them,” Rin smiled just a little despite himself. As far as he could recall no one had ever been so impressed by his first hunt; no one had ever really asked about it either. It was almost a shame to him, the idea of sending this bright eyed kid out on a hunt. Still, it wasn't any of his business and instead he nodded his head at the heavy books. “You plan on joining the Order officially?”

“Ah, yeah. After I finish with school I plan on taking the exam,” Ai rubbed at the back of his head, nodding a little. It probably wasn't such a strange thing here; Samezuka didn't accept hunters from independent families. “I really wanna help people if I can.”

The second part was so quiet that Rin almost missed it. “Lotta people would say the Order isn't a good way to do that.”

It's meant to be a joke, but Ai only looked away awkwardly instead of laughing at it. His fingers drop from where they were resting at the back of his neck, but he still managed to smile at Rin before climbing into the top bunk.

“W-well, good night Matsuoka-senpai,” he chirped, cuddling underneath the pile of blankets he'd formed for himself without asking Rin to turn out the light. Rin drags himself out of bed and does it anyway, glancing at the desk and not failing to notice that Ai had dragged the weapon up to bed with him as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Ai was really hoping that he'd have some time before his first hunt actually arrived. At least a week. But two days later Sejiuurou came knocking on the door with a grim look on his face that had Ai turning to grab his things before he even started speaking. Rin didn't look interested at first, content to work on his first assignments and play back up if needed.

“You're both going out. We've got a possession occurrence and a pack of black dogs downtown,” there was a note of clear authority in his voice though Rin simply stood with a shrug. He rolled his shoulders, nodding at Ai after a moment.

“I'll go take care of the dogs,” it was just as well; he hated possessions and a single target would probably be easier on Ai anyway. He hadn't asked the kid what he could actually do in a fight though his hunch was that it had something to do with the knife he clung to like a security blanket.

Rin dug in his closet for a moment before pulling out a black leather jacket and shrugging it on. It was a little warm for the spring air of the evening, but it was far more effective at deflecting bites than fabric would be. Sejiuurou leaned away from the door, letting Rin through. He tipped his hand in a wave.

“I'll be back soon then,” he called, trotting down the stairs and seemingly totally without worry. Ai lagged in the room, winding up with a loose fitting sweater sporting a cartoon cat and a nervous expression. He tried to cover it with a smile, but not quickly enough that it wasn't noticed.

“Possessions aren't fun,” Sejiuurou grumbled out, crossing his arms and glancing back out the door. He sighed, shaking his head. “Though with this mess you'd probably have ended up facing it alone anyways. Are you gonna be okay?”

Ai nodded, patting Sejiuurou's arm and tilting his head a little. Ai wasn't quite convincing, and the frown on the captain's face didn't ease any.

“I'll be fine. You worry too much,” he teased weakly, giving an exaggerated groan as Sejiuurou's arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, crushing their bodies together in a hug. “Nii-chan! C'mon, I gotta go.”

His cheeks flushed a little, glancing in the hall to make sure no one heard his slip before reluctantly returning the hug. It made Sejiuurou smile finally and he gave Ai a weak shove as he walked into the hall.

“Okay okay. Call me if you hit trouble,” he scratched the back of his head, returning to his own room with a sigh and a heavy weight sitting in his stomach.

Despite not knowing the area well, it didn't take Ai long to find the person possessed. In the air, he could see black threads all weaving in the same direction, leaving an easy enough trail to follow. Even with the nerves bubbling his stomach like a caldron he couldn't deny that it was exciting too. He'd wound up with his knife tucked into the front pocket of his sweater and both hands were clenched tight around it, trying to draw some comfort from the familiar weapon.

It turned out to be a woman inhabited by a demon. Her steps clicked against the sidewalk, moving quickly down the deserted sidewalk on the street where Ai finally caught up to her. She seemed unaware of his approach and he did his best to stay well behind her, watching the black fibers pour from her back, attaching themselves to nearby surfaces. She didn't notice the connections they made, even when one shot straight past Ai to grip onto a lamp post. He paused at that, leaning close to it and bringing two fingers up, reaching out to touch the fiber. His fingers passed through it harmlessly, but the woman whipped around, her eyes fixing on him.

If he had doubted that there was a demon inside her before, it evaporated when he met her eyes. Normal to anyone else, he could see the black veins standing out stark against her skin, the possession leaving the white's of her eyes an unhealthy shade of gray, her pupils shrunk to the size of pins. He stood quickly as she turned, trying to act as though nothing seemed different about her.

Even among hunters sight like his was uncommon, and when he was a child Sejiuurou had told him to never let a demon know that he could see them. They had a nasty habit of ripping out the eyes of anyone they could find with the gift and the thought never failed to make him shudder. 

He started walking again as if he hadn't noticed her at all, a polite smile on his face. He wasn't prepared for a fight with any distance and had planned on getting much closer before she'd actually noticed him. Wielding a knife meant all of his fighting had to be done from the closest proximity that he could achieve.

Her eyes narrowed as he got close, something bright and dangerous lighting up in them. Ai expected an attack, tightening his grip on the hilt of the blade in his pocket. Instead, she turned and began sprinting down the street, head dipped low and lavender hair flying out behind her. He blinked furiously, stopping dead for just a moment until she turned around a corner, still moving at a dead sprint.

He took off running after her, gritting his teeth together in frustration. There was something strange about her trying to escape like that, but with the black threads that followed after her quickly receding there wasn't much time to stop and think about it.

He slowly realized that she was carving a trail back to a more populated area of the city, the people beginning just to dot the sidewalk. Soon there were so many that he couldn't run between them without drawing attention or crashing into somebody though he could see through the crowd that she had slowed back to a walk as well.

He was a little glad for it, trying to even out his breathing. Ai was by no means out of shape, but he wasn't built for dead sprinting either. He didn't miss when the woman weaved to turn down an alleyway, following quickly after her. 

It wasn't a dead end, and she weaved down several more alleys before turning to stop and face him. The grin on her face stretched just a little too far at the corners, making it look more like she was simply baring her teeth at him than smiling.

“Did you get lost, little boy?” Her voice had the same smug quality as a cat with a baby bird. Ai shook his head, taking a breath to steady himself before pulling the knife out of his pocket.

Rather than being forged of steel, the rough edge of the opal blade shimmered in the evening darkness. One of her eyebrows arched as she looked at it before she laughed. Ai ignored it, setting his feet and gripping tighter onto the handle. The threads were darker behind her now, all connected to the wall and back to her body. 

He was trying to decide the best angle to try and attack; her back wasn't pressed into the wall and there was enough space in the alleyway for him to maneuver his small body around her to try and sever the threads rather than harming the woman's body. It was then that he heard the growling behind him. Though it was tempting, he didn't turn around. He could feel the dogs behind him, and turning to face them meant leaving himself open to their master. Still his eyes flicked over his shoulder.

The dogs stood nearly as tall as his ribs; hairless with skin covered in goosebumps. Their eyes were droopy and deep set and the saliva that dripped out of their jowls was a molten shade of red. All three of them stood growling, hides twitching over their muscled shoulders and slender tails curled over the prominent bumps of their spines. Ai swallowed, finding his mouth had suddenly grown dry and fear clutched at the bottom of his stomach.

*  
It took some debate for Rin to follow the dogs into the maze of alleyways that most of the city-goers didn't look twice at. He'd managed to burn one of them to ash before the other three had fled. It wasn't a good sign; black dogs ran in packs that were fiercely loyal and killing one should have sent them into a frenzy, not running for cover.

It meant they had a master somewhere nearby. Close enough to feel one of their minions die and recall the others. He knew if he was patient enough they would probably regroup and come after him on their own, but waiting meant risking a civilian getting hurt while the dogs hunted them down. There was also the risk that their master had something else in mind for them, which meant if he let them go now he could end up wasting days tracking them again.

He followed their sloppy trail with a little sigh. Either the master had needed them back quickly or he was meant to find them again. The thought sparked urgency in him; it could easily be the master setting a trap somewhere in these alleys.

He smirked, rubbing his fingers together in his pocket to keep them warm, turning the lighter he kept in the right one over and over in his hand. A trap would suit him just fine; gathering the master and the dogs into a tight vicinity like these alleys would make it that much easier to take care of everything at once.

There was a shout somewhere ahead of him and Rin stopped for a moment, trying to figure out exactly where it had originated. His mind clicked into overdrive; the trail had been cooling off as he got deeper, and it would be sloppy for a demon to try and lead a fire mage into an ambush. The trap wasn't meant for him, and all his experience did not prevent him from being an idiot, it seemed.

“Fuck,” he grunted, taking a breath and listening for any other sounds of distress. There was a piercing yelp, loud enough that it was easy to follow back to the source. One of the dogs was at the mouth of the alley, blood at the corners of its mouth and half its snout sliced clean to the bone. It turned at the soft flick of Rin's lighter opening.

He smirked, blowing gently on the flame. The air around the beast ignited, and the sound it made was nearly a scream. It's skin caught, but still it launched itself through the air at Rin, mouth wide open to bite into his face. His foot connected squarely with its chest, launching it back against one of the brick walls.

It picked itself back to its feet with a growl, shaking hard and managing to douse some of the fire that licked over it skin, leaving blisters in its wake. Rin grinned down at the beast, flicking the lighter open once again and this time using the flame to draw an X in front of his fist. One of the dogs turned from menacing Ai to face him as well, the injured one falling a step back as flames came to wrap around both of Rin's hands. 

It launched itself into the air, this time teeth catching around the hard leather of the jacket as Rin raised his arm up to block his throat. He fell back a step, opening his hand and pressing it to the side of the dogs neck. Its entire body ignited under Rin's hand, scream giving away to nothing as it crumbled into a pile of ash.

Both remaining beasts howled, the one already singed and cut snarling at Rin before a sharp whistle made it lift its head and spin around quickly, slinking back into the alley. Rin followed after it, gritting his teeth as both beasts closed in closer to Ai, pushing him to one of the brick walls. His eyes blinked nervously, but he held his stance and Rin stared for a second at the blade in his hand.

Its surface shimmered, never seeming to entirely take on a single color, and white light wrapped around both the blade and Ai's fist. There was a ragged hole in his other arm, cradled close to his chest and staining the goofy cartoon cat with blood. 

He and the dog moved at the same time. Ai struck forward so fast that Rin nearly didn't see it, the knife stabbing sideways through the uninjured dogs neck before withdrawing smoothly. It screamed, backing up as the same white light poured out from the wound. It shook its head hard, trying to turn enough to lick at the searing wound. He moved to strike again when its attention wavered, but a black tendril shot out from the woman standing at the end of the alley, wrapping around his wrist and slamming it back into the wall.

The knife dropped from his hand landing by his foot with a clatter, the light faded from the blade slowly, leaving it dull. Rin snapped forward, pressing his still flaming hand to one of the dogs, charring it to nothing with a grim expression. Flames singed at the bottom of Ai's sweater and he was glad it didn't catch. 

The other dog launched into the air, Rin's hand wrapping around its throat and giving it the same fate as the rest. The tendril had moved from gripping Ai's wrist against the wall to holding his throat, hoisting him into the air and hauling him to the woman. She laughed at Rin's glare, tightening the grip and making Ai's face flush pink.

“I suppose this is a fair exchange for you killing my pets,” she lifted Ai higher in the air. Her face snapped to look at him suddenly, smugness warping into fear as both of his hands wrapped tightly around the tendril. A smile flickered across his face so quickly that Rin almost missed it before the alley filled up with black smoke. 

It took him a moment to realize the smoke was pouring out of the woman's mouth, Ai kneeling on the ground and still gripping the thread in his hands so tightly that his knuckles went white, a tear rolling down the side of his flushed face. The smoke continued to condense before it all lit white for just a second, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

Ai pushed himself up slowly, panting as he recollected the knife. He slid the leather sheath on it carefully before returning it to his pocket. He looked up at Rin, and to his shock, actually smiled. It was weak but certainly there.

“Are you okay Matsuoka-senpai?” He managed, his voice rasping as he spoke. He rubbed a hand over his throat, looking almost embarrassed at the sound of it. Rin nodded dumbly, mind still struggling to process. There was the sound of quiet sobbing, and he looked over at the woman now kneeling at the end of the alley.

She looked up at Rin and a kind of sick realization crossed her face, wiping away tears from her eyes. He scratched at the back of his head, approaching her slowly and shaking the flames away from his hand before holding it out. She stared at it in almost terror before taking it, drawing back the second their skin met like she expected to be burnt. She stared at her fingers for a second before gripping his hand, letting him help her to her feet.

“It wasn't a dream,” she mumbled out and Rin nodded. She looked at Ai and another tear leaked out as he smiled at her as well, cradling his arm once again. “I tried to kill you.”

He shook his head, his smile coming much easier as the burning feeling in his throat eased away. “It's okay ma'am. I know it wasn't you.”

She seemed relieved to hear that and allowed Rin to half carry her back to the street. He stood with her while she called a friend who made a confused promise to come pick her up before turning to Ai with a clipped sigh.

“Let me see your arm,” he demanded, holding a hand out. Ai shrugged, lifting it away from his chest and letting Rin examine it with only a tiny hiss through his teeth.

“I don't think it's too bad,” he offered. Rin tried to jostle the wound as little as possible, glad to see that while the teeth had torn ragged holes in his skin, it hadn't ripped a chunk away or damaged the bone like he'd feared. The punctures had already stopped bleeding almost entirely though the walk back to Samezuka was sure to make it bleed more.

“It's not. Tell me if you get dizzy,” he warned. He refused to leave until a car pulled up to the curb, another young woman bounding out and giving him a sharp glare as she pulled her friend into the car. It almost made him laugh though he had sense enough not to; that she glared at him and not the boy standing to his side wearing a kitty sweater covered in blood.

He looked at Ai with a nod after they pulled away, turning to walk back in the direction of the school. Ai beamed at him which did make him chuckle a little in the end.

“How was your first hunt then?” He asked after awhile, stealing glances as Ai's wound whenever he could manage it. To his surprise, Ai shrugged his shoulders, giggling as he looked up at Rin. His smile was so wide that his eyes squinted mostly shut. 

“No big deal,” he smiled. When they reached the dorms again he gave Sejiuurou's door an anxious glance, shaking his head at Rin when he lifted a fist to knock. 

"Let me, um, change first," he chuckled, pushing the door to their room open and pulling the stained sweater off over his head. He looked down at it with a groan before balling it up and tossing it on the bed. "Guess I can't wear that again."

There was a snorting sound behind him that made Ai wheel in surprise, face blanching. Rin, already settled at his desk looked up at Sejiuurou with a raised eyebrow.

"Job's all done," he said with only mild annoyance at the captain feeling like he could stick his head in whenever he pleased. He didn't give Rin a glance, staring at the blood dried and smeared on Ai's hand and arm.

“Ai?” He questioned and Ai flinched a little, sighing and crossing the room. He held his arm out with a shrug, looking up at Sejiuurou with a reassuring smile.

“It's no big deal, it's really just a cut,” he smiled a little wider as Sejiuurou just dropped his arm with a labored sigh, nodding at the bathroom.

“Wash it out and put a bandage on it,” he reminded, glare settling on Rin when the bathroom door clicked shut behind Ai. “I didn't think you doing your job would be a problem.”

“Didn't realize 'done' was a problem,” Rin snorted, looking up from his book and leaning an arm over the back of the chair. “It's not a job for the squeamish. Your boyfriend's probably gonna get roughed up a lot.”

Sejiuurou blinked furiously at that, heat flooding his face. He swallowed down the annoyance on his tongue, shaking his head. “Leave your idiotic assumptions out of it Matsuoka.”

Rin snorted at that, leaning back and fixing Sejiuurou with a glare just as intense. The shower in the bathroom turned on and he looked back to the desk.

“Sure thing, Captain. Tell you what, I'll even do it your way and partner with him. He exorcised the possession without laying a hand on the girl,” he raised an eyebrow at the end, trying to make it clear that the last feat required some kind of explanation. 

Sejiuurou stared at him for a moment as if trying to weigh the truth in his words before giving a single curt nod. He turned and pulled the door shut without saying anything else, leaving Rin staring at the door with an irritated glare. He turned back to the desk, drumming his fingers on the surface for a moment before just sliding his headphones in his ears with a small sigh.

He was certainly curious about how Ai was able to do what he was on his first hunt, but from the look of it the captain had no desire to talk about it. Idiotic assumption or not, it seemed more likely now that there was something weird between the two of them than before his goading. Hiding it was the thing that didn't make sense to Rin, but he shrugged it off as well. 

The only thing their relationship meant to him was that Sejiuurou wouldn't give up his overbearing attitude. His fingers gave an annoyed twitch at the thought, sighing as he simply turned the music up louder. He didn't like teams for this exact reason; they were minefields. People and their secrets left no end to ways that he could step wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, a chapter where things actually happen! How exciting. Next time; Ai tries to make friends, Rin already has plenty that he doesn't want.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days revealed several facts to Rin. The first was that Ai was determined that he and Rin would be the best of friends. He seemed to constantly be around, and while he didn't seem to be unpopular with other members of his class he spent all of his lunch periods, and a large chunk of his free time where ever Rin was. It would've been less aggravating if Ai wasn't so deeply terrified of silence. 

He always seemed to have something worth talking about and Rin's rare responses and grunts of varying interest didn't seem to dissuade him at all. It was hard to focus on Ai's description of his classes during lunch though sometimes he did manage to get Rin to crack a smile a few times with his storytelling.

The next thing he realized, slowly, was that while Ai talked almost constantly he never said much of anything about himself. It was disconcerting in a way, how he was simultaneously so open and such a secret. He didn't talk much about hunting either though most of the time he wasn't speaking was spent studying the old books he'd brought with him.

“You're pretty serious about that, huh?” He finally questioned, glancing at Ai leaned over the book with his brow furrowed intensely. He looked up with a smile, tilting his head and rubbing his eyes a little.

“Y-yeah. I know there's a lot I have to learn about joining the Order,” Rin stood, nodding at Ai's words and leaning over his shoulder to look at the contents of the book. He was surprised to find that it was one he wasn't familiar with.

“You can't learn everything from these ya know,” he chuckled, a quick skim of the page telling him it was about possessions. “You did well with that for your first time. It's not something I've seen anyone do.”

There was a question implicit in that. Usually, a hunter would have to find a way to sever the tendrils that anchored a demon into the human they were using and it almost always resulted in the person getting hurt. He'd seen demons anchored so deeply that they couldn't be removed without killing the host. Ai looked up at him with a blink, tilting his head with a soft smile.

“You haven't? I just grabbed it,” he raised an eyebrow at the confusion that flashed across Rin's face. “It used one of the uh, tentacle things to grab me... All I had to do was pull it out.”

Rin continued staring at him, pushing his fingers back through his hair with a bark of laughter. “You can see that kinda shit?”

Ai nodded, scratching at the back of his head with a little grin, looking almost shy over it. Other than family he hadn't told anyone about being able to see demons.

“Should be a big help as long as you're careful,” Rin chuckled a little, looking back down at the book and grinning. “My mentor told me if they know you see them they kill you.”

“Mmm, Seji said they just rip your eyes out,” Ai rolled his eyes a little, glancing up at Rin with a smile. It was easier to play off as an old wives tale whenever he wasn't carefully avoiding making eye contact with whatever demon crossed his path.

“You should remember to slow down and think. You can get in a lot of trouble when they try and set traps like that,” he blinked as Ai's cheeks flushed, shrugging one shoulder. “I'll watch your back next time, but don't be scared to let them run or try to draw a fight to a better spot.”

“Y-you'll...?” Ai looked up, his eyes shining in a way that made something strange and unfamiliar flutter in Rin's chest. “Thank you Matsuoka-senpai! I'll make sure I do a better job!”

“Ah like I said, you did just fine. It was your first time, can't expect you to be perfect,” he gave Ai half a smile, flashing his teeth and lifting his hand from where it had fallen on the back of the chair.

“Y-you said you didn't want a partner though,” Ai mumbled it a little like he was scared bringing the subject up would remind Rin to change his mind. Rin shrugged again at that; Ai had skills that were totally new to him and partnering up would give him a chance to see more of that.

“Yeah, and I told Mikoshiba I'd reconsider,” he grinned as Ai's cheeks flushed a little more. It was certainly not, he reminded himself because he was worried about the tiny first-year getting into more trouble than he could handle. His knowledge could make Rin a better hunter and that was all there was to it.

Still, Ai was smiling at him like he'd won the fucking lottery or something and Rin cringed internally. He scratched the back of his head, sitting down at his own desk with half a smile. It was hard not to notice how often the captain checked in on Ai. Even if calling him Ai's boyfriend had been a joke originally it seemed more and more true. 

Rin almost laughed at the deceptively soft knock on the door that always signaled Sejiuurou's loud and overbearing visits. Ai rolled his eyes, just as aware as Rin who it was, standing from the desk and looking up at Sejiuurou with a small smile. He leaned one arm on the doorframe, leaning in and ruffling Ai's hair with one large hand. Ai groaned at that, trying to swat him away and fix his silver hair back into its usual place.

“We've got activity but I can't place it specifically so you two are gonna have to go out and patrol,” he smiled, tilting his head as Ai turned to gather his things. He looked up at Rin and raised an eyebrow. “That gonna be a problem?”

He rolled his eyes and shrugged at that, running his fingers back through his hair with a wide smirk. “No problem at all, Captain.”

He narrowed his eyes for a moment before giving Rin his usual effortless grin. He nodded at them both before scratching the back of his head with a chuckle.

“I wish I could give ya a little more to go on but sensing isn't really my strong suit,” he shrugged his shoulders, sighing. “Clairvoyant's don't come through the Order though, so we'll have to make do. What I can tell you is that it's on the south side of the city, but I can't tell you what it actually is.”

Rin quirked an eyebrow at that, looking thoughtful for a moment before simply nodding and waving a hand at Sejiuurou's concerns. Sensing came more from talent than training, and it was one he knew he didn't really have. Ai just smiled, tucking the knife into the back of his pants and the sight made Rin chuckle a little.

“No more kitty sweaters?” He grinned, pulling his own jacket on and closing his fingers around the lighter in the pocket, grinning a little as Ai shook his head.

“I'm gonna have to find something suited to this, I guess,” he giggled, nodding and pulling a more simple muted gray jacket on, tilting his head. “I'm ready.”

“You won't need anything else if you don't get hurt,” Sejiuurou grumbled, giving Rin a nod as he walked out. He held a hand out to stop Ai, ignoring the roll of his eyes and wrapping him in a tight bear hug.

“Are you gonna do this whenever I go out Seji?” He asked, sighing and wrapping his arms around Sejiuurou's waist for a moment before letting go. Sejiuurou nodded his head, laughing softly.

“Of course I am. Can't let my little brother just run off to kill big bad monsters without a hug,” he grinned, giving Ai's hair a ruffle before nudging him out the door and pulling it shut. “Now go and be careful.”

Ai rolled his eyes and gave a wave, bouncing down the stairs to where Rin was standing with an impatient look on his face. He looked up as Ai came into view, a crooked smile on his face. 

“Boyfriend finally let you go?” He asked, laughing at the shocked expression that dawned on his face. Eyes wide he held both hands up in front of him, shaking his head so rapidly that it almost broke his neck. 

“S-Sejiuurou? H-he's not... W-we're not...” He shook his head again, face pale at the suggestion. Rin blinked, trying to gauge the reaction; it didn't seem like embarrassment really, but it was still not what he had expected. He chuckled, giving Ai's shoulder a little nudge before walking ahead.

“I'm just kidding, doesn't matter to me,” Rin shrugged, walking slowly as it took Ai another moment to fully overcome his shock and jog to catch up to Rin's long strides. “It'll be easier to take a train out and start looking.”

The walk to the station was relatively quiet, something Rin found to be an odd surprise with Ai at his side. He seemed more withdrawn than Rin had ever seen him, shoulders curled inward and hands pushed into the pockets of his pants. Rin hesitated, reaching a hand out and giving Ai's hair a ruffle as he'd Sejiuurou do several times.

Ai's whole body jolted at the contact, blinking and looking up as Rin withdrew his hand. He let it drop back to his side, keeping his face focused forward as he waited for the train to arrive. He clenched his fist at his side still feeling the tingle on his skin, the softness of Ai's silver hair. He didn't look down, but it didn't matter; Ai's surprised happiness was incandescent, his smile shined like a beacon well after the two of them climbed onto the quiet train.

“I always get nervous riding the train this late,” Ai admitted it quietly, scratching the side of his face but still smiling though some of the light that it threw off had faded.

“Why? It'd be kind of hard for someone to bother you,” he raised an eyebrow, laughing softly and looking around the train. It was nearly empty, only a handful of passengers occupied the car.

“It's not like I bring my hunting gear every time I get on the train,” he chuckled a little, looking up at Rin with a playful roll of his eyes. “And not all of us are as scary as you Matsuoka-senpai.”

“Rin,” he corrected with a scoff, leaning a little to the side and nudging Ai with his shoulder, the same crooked grin on his face. “Well, maybe I'll have to show you how to look scary too.”

He turned towards Ai, settling his eyebrows low and giving him a mock glare. Ai blinked for a second, then attempted to imitate the expression. It was a miserable failure, he couldn't quite keep the smile off his face and it really looked more like a sweet pout than anything resembling a glare.

Rin leaned back with a laugh, shaking his head and nudging his shoulder against Ai's once again as the train screeched to a stop.

“Great, I'm pretty sure all the bunnies we run into will be terrified,” he grinned as he stood, Ai following after him with a despairing whine.

“It couldn't have been that bad!” He protested, bounding off the train just a step behind Rin. He blinked as he stepped back into the evening air, looking around. Rin looked over his shoulder, tilting his head. Ai paused for a moment longer before looking at Rin and nodding his head. He stepped ahead now, walking with purpose. “It's this way. My sensing is a lot better than Seji's but only when I'm close.”

“Any idea what it is?” Rin inquired, easing his hands into his pockets and following after Ai's steps with an easy level of confidence. 

“Mmm, not really? It's not another possession,” he tugged the ends of his hair thoughtfully, looking around as they came to an intersection. He turned down the next street, smiling back at Rin and shrugging a shoulder. “Those usually leave evidence all over the place.”

Ai continued wandering through the streets, making frequent pauses to look around with a furrowed brow. He shook his head after some time, chewing on his bottom lip.

“We're not getting any closer to it... Something feels wrong,” his sigh was soft, and he looked around again before his eyes brightened, turning and jogging down a nearby alleyway.

“Oi!” Rin called, running quickly after him and shaking his head. Ai looked back at him with a smile before nimbly scaling his way up a fire escape. Rin blinked before smirking and following him up, nodding his head. “Okay, not a bad idea.”

Ai reached the top of the building quickly, tugging himself up onto the flat surface of the roof and using the high vantage point to look around again. Rin simply sat himself on the edge, looking at Ai over his shoulder and contenting himself with waiting. Ai's eyes slid closed, trying to reach his awareness out in all directions. 

“I think... It's a cat?” He questioned, tilting his head as his eyes opened once again. “Must be why Seji had so much trouble, it's pretty small.”

“You know where it's at?” Rin stood, taking a step back from the edge of the roof and turning to face Ai now. He nodded once, an easy smile on his face.

“Yeah. I think it's following something, but we're not far away,” he scaled down the building just as quickly, waiting at the bottom for Rin to finish his slower descent. He nodded when Rin's feet hit the pavement with a smack, turning back to the street. He was moving more quickly now, without the pauses he had made before to reorient himself to the creatures position.

“It's up here,” he whispered, hesitating against the corner of a building. Rin nodded, stepping ahead and rounding the corner with an aloof glance at Ai. He noticed the cat with a sweeping glance, scooping it up in one arm as Ai followed after him, biting his lip.

The cat was fairly large, pure black with eyes that regarded Rin uneasily. It didn't yowl or scratch at his arm, letting Rin carry it to a more secluded part of the street, both he and Ai ducking into a small alcove.

“This is it, right?” He asked, looking down at the cat with his mouth set in a skeptical line. The cat was certainly eerie to look at, and it lay in his arms in total silence. It turned to face Ai as he did, and the soft hiss almost made Rin jump in surprise. There was a weak smile on Ai's face and he gave Rin a shake of his head.

“You really have no sense, do you?” He nodded at the cat, it's eyes never deviating from his movements. “Yeah, that's it.”

Rin scoffed at that, a little flush creeping over his cheeks. He shrugged, shifting his grip to reach in his pocket, then shouted when the cat propelled itself from his arms with enough strength to send him stumbling backward. Ai lunged towards it, but his grab only gave him a few strands of black fur. 

The cat wheeled away from him with a yowl before sprinting off down the sidewalk. Rin groaned, hanging his head for a moment before looking at Ai with a sigh.

“Well back to following it,” he groaned again, walking back down the sidewalk. Ai followed a few steps before stopping short and blinking his eyes furiously.

“Uh, R-Rin-senpai, it changed? At least, it feels different,” Ai remained in place, looking around as if he had found himself suddenly totally lost. Rin slowed and looked back, tilting his head.

“Yeah, that's not a big surprise. Probably a Bajang,” he smirked a little at Ai's apparent confusion. “Didn't get that far in your book yet?”

Ai shook his head, looking a little sheepish at the fact. Rin just smiled and waved his hand. “They're kinda like vampires, or at least they drink blood when they can get it, but they spend most of their time transformed into cats.”

Ai nodded his head, mouth twisting into a grim line and nose wrinkling at the mention of blood drinking. Rin tilted his head, looking around again.

“Can you find it?” He asked after a moment, taking a step back towards Ai with a half smile. 

“Yeah, I think I still have it...” He closed his eyes for a second, jolting as Rin laid a hand weakly on his shoulder. His eyes blinked open again after a moment, a weak smile crossing his face as Rin pulled his hand away. “It's a little easier to feel now, but it's moving faster.”

By the time Ai managed to bring them close to it again, night had well and truly fallen. Rin scrubbed his palms over his face with a clipped groan, shaking his head and giving Ai a smile.

“I tell ya, I didn't miss all this tracking bullshit,” he grunted, smiling a little at Ai looked up with a shrug. He hesitated, pressing a gentle hand to Rin's arm to slow him and hunching his shoulders inward a little. Rin stopped short, looking down at him with a raised eyebrow, following Ai's glare to a man standing on the corner of the street.

As it had gotten later, the people surrounding them had thinned significantly, and now ahead of them was what Rin assumed they'd been hunting for. He was almost pallid, with a profile made of sharp angles and shadows painted around his eyes, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. Rin nodded once at Ai, taking a step forward and smirking sharply.

“Yo, need a light?” Rin asked casually, drawing the lighter out of his pocket with a glint in his eyes. The man looked up and narrowed his eyes at Rin before shaking his head.

"What so you can set me on fire?" He asked, his tone every ounce as conversational as Rin's. He shook his head, dropping the cigarette with a frown. "Why don't you kids just go home?"

"So you can find somebody to drain? Not likely," Rin snorted, taking a step forward and flicking the lighter open with a smirk. He flicked it, grinning at the small flame that formed before using it to draw a cross in front of himself. 

Fire wrapped around his hands and he found that was apparently being entirely ignored, instead the man was staring directly at Ai with something wicked and predatory in his gaze. It was unsettling to see, and without risking a glance back at Ai, Rin took a step to place himself between the two, flexing his knuckles with a snort. 

The mans lip curled at that, revealing delicate fangs lurking underneath. They were thin and needle sharp and the sight of them made Rin's skin crawl against his will. In the second his eyes flicked to the teeth the man lunged forward, his weight catching Rin by surprise and sending them both sprawling onto the pavement. 

He shouted as the ground bit into his back, lifting a hand and gripping it tightly around the mans throat, heat licking over the pale skin and staining it red. He could see those fangs bared inches from his face and tightened his hold, his eyes refusing to look at anything else.

There was a shout from the creature on top of him, smoke rising from his back. His attention diverted away from Rin, rolling away from the grip on his throat and using both hands to try and claw at the wound. When he moved Rin was able to catch a glimpse of it; an indent had been made in his clothes but they were undamaged.

Ai stood above Rin as he sat up, both hands balled into tight fists and feet set firmly for combat. Rin pushed himself back to his feet, not missing the pure white light that engulfed Ai's arms up the the elbows. The creature whirled on them both, eyes wide as he took in the sight of Ai. 

His dash forward was so quick that Rin almost missed it, a blur of silver brushing past him like an errant breeze. He did see Ai's fist connect with the mans stomach, sending him stumbling backward with an unearthly scream. He gripped at the flesh, more smoke rising from the invisible wound, before lunging forward and grabbing onto Ai's wrist.

Ai turned into the grip, his weight shifting into the pull and pitching himself in a way that made the creature roll harmlessly over his shoulder, hand twisting to let him hold the creatures wrist, a sickening sizzling filling the air. Rin blinked back into focus, flicking the lighter out and creating another flame. 

A spike of glittering ice shot up through the creatures chest, blood staining it red where it protruded from his back. Rin dropped the lighter with a curse, staring at Ai and finding him to be every ounce as shocked. Rin wrenched his head around so rapidly he could hear the muscles in his neck scream in protest. It didn't take much for his brain to catch up with what had happened, and when he met with a pair of cold blue eyes his teeth grit together.

“Haru, what the fuck-” the flames that had only been licking around his hands grew with the rising of his temper. The black haired boy staring back at him seemed completely unaffected, though to the much taller boy standing to his right looked on with wide green eyes and hands held up in a gesture that was probably meant to soothe Rin's temper. It didn't and he stomped several steps forward before emotion flickered to life in Haru's eyes.

“I didn't know you were back,” no emotion rang in his quiet voice though his eyes never moved from Rin's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Fighting is never the right answer, and Nagisa's curiosity gets the best of him.


	4. Chapter 4

“It's almost like I wanted it that way,” Rin growled, his fists clenched so tight that his nails cut crescent shaped welts into his palms. Makoto took a step forward now, clearing his throat a little and smiling at Rin in his usual motherly way.

“Please take a breath, Rin. We can just take a minute and talk-” he stopped short as Haru cast him a glance, his head giving half a shake. 

“Job's done. C'mon,” he turned halfway before Rin charged forward, fist poised in a strike that only met with a panel of what looked like green glass. It stopped his momentum entirely, a hiss sliding through his teeth as he glared at Makoto. He dropped his hand, the barrier shattering into the air.

Haru looked back at Rin now, one of his eyebrows quirked. Rin snorted, rolling his head and causing his neck to crack. Fire still licked his hands and it was clear he was still looking for a fight.

“You got in my way,” he grit out, trying hard to ignore the way Ai's nervous energy made the air around him feel heavy. He wanted nothing more than to slam his fist into Haru's face, barriers be damned. He rolled his knuckles, throwing sparks into the air that jumped forward and spiraled through the air like fireflies. Rather than a barrier these met with a splash of water that formed in the air surrounding Haru's hand.

“I finished a hunt,” Haru shrugged, looking over his shoulder at Rin. If he noticed Ai at all it didn't show on his face. He didn't turn, Rin's arms consumed entirely in columns of flame. He lifted one to his face, blowing air over his palm; two twisting streams of flame screamed through the air. Haru grunted at that, bringing both arms up in front of his face with ice surrounding his forearms. There was a hiss as the ice dissolved, steam coiling around his arms. 

He gave a snort, lifting a hand towards Rin with ice forming on the tips of his fingers. He dropped it when another pane of dark green formed between the two of them, tall and nearly translucent. He glanced at Makoto and seemed to deflate as did Rin. 

“Don't interrupt me again, Haru,” he grunted, Ai having to jog already to keep up with his long strides. He was surprised when Ai tapped his arm reluctantly, the lighter he'd almost forgotten in his hand. He stared at it for a second before taking it with a sigh.

Ai seemed to read his foul mood and the walk back to the station was blanketed in heavy silence. Sitting on the train with a wide berth of space between himself and Rin, Ai wrung his hands together nervously.

“Um, R-Rin-senpai?” He asked tentatively, managing not to flinch away as Rin lifted his head with a harsh glare on his face.

“Don't ask,” he snapped, leaning his back against the seat and crossing his arms in front of him. “You can report back to Mikoshiba, I'm not in the mood.”

Ai just nodded his head weakly, looking away and curling in on himself a little more. Rin's silence was like waiting for the eruption of a volcano, and when they left the train he made no effort to keep up. Rin was nearly running, and Ai wasn't entirely keen on watching his rage for the entire night.

Instead he walked to Sejiuurou's door alone, knocking and looking up with a smile as the redhead answered. His face brightened at the sight of Ai and he nearly shoved him in the room. Ai didn't comment on the way he tried to discreetly check for any injuries, figuring Sejiuurou had earned it after last time.

“How'd it go?” He asked after he was satisfied, the door clicking shut behind him. Ai shrugged, sitting on top of Sejiuurou's desk with a weary sigh.

“Not great,” Sejiuurou was patient as he explained the hunt though his fingers tapped his knee in irritation by the end. 

“Can he go on a single hunt without causing some kind of trouble?” He groaned, running a hand over his face with a little sigh. “Getting into a stupid fight with Justiciar's, you have to be kidding me.”

“It's not like he went out looking for it,” Ai defended quietly. Sejiuurou looked at him and just groaned again, shaking his head.

“You're too nice,” Sejiuurou waved a hand but smiled, leaning back in his seat. “You two will have to be more careful of our boundary line, I guess.”

“So they weren't Order members?” Ai asked after a moment, his voice soft and curious. Sejiuurou looked up with a nod, draping his long arms over his knees.

“Nope. The area just outside of Samezuka is free territory, it's why they always have a team positioned here. So much for making allies out of them,” Sejiuurou sighed a little, resting his palms on his knees.

“I dunno, they're people he knew,” Ai shrugged a little, shifting his position on the desk so his back was against the wall. He glanced around Sejiuurou's room with a small smile. It wasn't very personal, but he could spot a framed photo on the stand by the bed. He hopped off the desk with a little grin, picking the frame up and tilting his head as he looked down at the picture.

He recognized it instantly; it was a photo of Ai on the beach, staring forlornly at a dropped ice cream cone, pressed between Sejiuurou and a much shorter redhead that shared the same clever yellow eyes. Ai laughed, shaking his head a little as he held it up.

“Why did you pick this one?” He turned to look back at Sejiuurou, shaking his head with a smile. “I look so sad!”

“You were! You cried until Momo bought you a new ice cream,” he grinned, leaning an arm over the back of the chair with a smile. “But it's cute and it has both of you.”

Ai nodded, setting it back down gently and tilting his head at the curiously sad expression on Sejiuurou's face. He blinked softly, fingers still lingering on the black frame. “Nii-chan? Is everything okay?”

Sejiuurou blinked and the odd sadness was gone, replaced by his characteristic grin. He nodded at Ai's question then paused, leaning his head on his arm.

“So are you still keeping secrets?” He asked and Ai's face fell a degree. He sighed just a little, still smiling just as wide. “You really just need to tell him the truth.”

Ai opened his mouth to respond then jolted at the knock on the door. His face flushed as Sejiuurou stood to open it, Rin standing with an annoyed furrow etched between his eyebrows. His eyes flicked to Ai before he nodded at Sejiuurou.

“Can I get a pass for the night?” He asked. Sejiuurou barked out a laugh at that, shaking his head.

“Those are for good behavior, not for settling fights with Justiciars,” Sejiuurou was just a little harsher than needed and Rin's face was clouded with irritation.

“My sister wanted me to come visit,” he snapped in response but Sejiuurou shook his head. He had the sense not to roll his eyes.

“Do it on the weekend then. You're staying in tonight,” his voice was serious and Rin turned away with a 'tsk'. Sejiuurou turned back to Ai, giving him a nod and half a smile. “Thanks for the report, go get some rest.”

Ai nodded, crossing the room with a weak smile and following Rin back to their room. He cringed a little as the door slammed behind him, glancing up at Rin and scratching his head. He tried to find something to say as Rin laid down on his bunk with a heavy sigh.

“Is he always such a hardass?” Rin asked after a moment, leaning on his elbow and raising an eyebrow. Ai laughed at that, shrugging his shoulders and sliding into his seat at the desk.

“Mmm, pretty much. If he's not being bossy then he's worrying about something,” he turned to the book still spread out, looking over the page to try and find his place again.

“Oi, no more studying that dusty old thing,” Rin was grinning a little and he shifted his feet to sit parallel with his knees. “You can help me do some sit-ups instead.”

Ai smiled a little, closing the book and moving to kneel on the bed, wrapping his slim hands around Rin's ankles. He kept a silent count in his head and Rin's face showed no signs of strain until Ai's count was well past a hundred.

He paused with his arms on his knees, staring down at Ai with a small smile on his face. Ai looked up and met it with a smile on his own, tilting his head.

“So, you knew them Senpai?” He asked quietly, afraid that the smile would fall from his face and never come back. Rin blinked then sighed, laying his head on one of his arms and nodding.

“They're... Were friends of mine. The big guy is Makoto, he's a warden with pretty incredible reflexes. The other one,” Rin paused, looking away with a grunt. Ai, let go of his grip on Rin's ankles, leaning back but watching his face curiously. “Haruka Nanase. When we were kids everyone said he was a shoe-in for High Council. His parents were the last Order members living in Iwatobi when we were kids, and Haru decided he wasn't interested in hunting for anybody else.”

Rin pressed his hand to a face with a sigh, stretching his legs out so they on either side of Ai's. “There was a clairvoyant who used to hang around with them, but he was never one for a fight.”

Rin blinked at that, lifting his head up suddenly. “That fucking sneaky...”

“S-senpai?” Ai jolted in surprise at that, leaning back a little.

“Sorry. Just.. Knowing him he probably saw that I would be out tonight and sent those two,” he laughed and Ai was surprised that it sounded truly genuine. “He's a meddler. Don't worry about it though, he's mostly harmless.”

“M-mostly?” Ai asked, blinking his eyes. He didn't think he had any reason to fear Rin's friends though the hunter had seemed intimidating.

“I wouldn't wanna be on his bad side. We were friends and I already think he's diabolical,” despite the harsh word Rin smiled and Ai paused for a moment to appreciate the way it made his whole face soften. The line between his eyebrows eased and it made his crimson eyes sparkle like rubies without the hard edge that they usually had.

“Haru and I used to get into squabbles all the time, it's not really a big deal,” Rin shrugged, tilting his head at Ai's distracted expression. “You can tell your- whatever that too.”

Ai snapped back from staring at Rin with a flush on his cheeks, nodding abruptly. “R-right! I'll do that!”

He swallowed and Rin stared at him strangely for a moment before nodding and laying back down. “Thanks then Ai. You did a good today, even if it didn't come to a good end.”

Ai blushed a little further, nodding his head and crawling over Rin's legs and sliding off the bed with a smile. He sat back down at the desk, casting a glance at the leather bound book he'd been reading before, instead pulling out one of his school notebooks.

“Ya know I didn't really mean you should just pick something else to study,” Rin rolled his eyes but Ai just shrugged.

“I just wanna make sure my work is ready for tomorrow. I'll go to bed soon. Good night Senpai!” Rin grumbled a good night in response, rolling so his back faced the desk and closing his eyes with a little sigh.

He found Ai asleep on his books in the morning, the pen still clutched in his fingers. Rin hesitated a little at the sight, trying to be irritated that Ai hadn't made any attempt to actually go to bed. Instead, the sight was if he was being honest with himself, cute. He sighed softly, shaking his head at nothing in particular before giving Ai's hair a ruffle to wake him.

He jolted under Rin's hand, sitting up with a blink then groaning as he realized it was morning. He looked up at Rin with bleary eyes, rubbing them with his hands, tiny whimpers falling out of his mouth that he didn't seem to notice.

“R-Rin-senpai?” He grumbled after dropping his hands. Rin crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look appropriately disapproving.

“You stay there all night?” He asked, trying not to smile as Ai nodded. He laid a hand on his slender shoulder, shaking his head. “You should make sure you get some good sleep. You gotta stay on your toes ya know.”

He smiled, lifting his hand as Ai seemed to wake up all the way, a flush creeping into his cheeks. It was hard not to act soft towards the kid. He was so eager and determined that it wasn't a real surprise he was asleep on his books after a hunt.

“R-right Senpai! I'll be careful,” he stood with a slight wobble, groaning as his cramped muscles stretched out. He wrinkled his nose with a wide nod, closing his eyes as his mouth opened wide to pull in air. Rin stared for a moment, blushing as he realized it and snapping his head away. “Ah, I guess I have to get ready!”

He moved quickly after that, stopping frequently to stretch his obviously sore muscles. Rin glanced up when Ai's back turned, his gaze resting on the healing bite mark on the back of his arm. It had healed considerably, now a faded red ring with several deep puncture marks. It wasn't intentional when his gaze slipped from the injury to the smooth line of Ai's back. His eyes settled on a silvery patch of skin in the center of his shoulder blades, shaped like a waning moon and almost shining in the light. 

“I-is something wrong Rin-senpai?” Ai asked, looking over his shoulder at Rin. His brow furrowed as Rin's face went bright red, shaking his head quickly and looking away with a cough. 

“I didn't realize you had a scar,” he mumbled after a moment, because it sounded better than 'I was watching you put clothes on'. Ai blinked for a second then smiled and shook his head gently.

“Oh! It's a birthmark,” he said, pulling his shirt on like he hadn't caught Rin staring at him. Rin couldn't help be a little glad that Ai hadn't questioned him for being a pervert, especially because he was pretty sure the captain would be more pissed about that than Rin getting into a stupid fight with Haru, dating or not. 

He snapped his head away from Ai, trying to avoid the temptation of any more inappropriate staring. Instead he looped his bag over his shoulder, letting out an annoyed sigh before glancing back at Ai.

“Have a good day,” he grumbled before pushing his way out the door. He looked confused by the tone, but Rin just elbowed it shut behind him. It was starting to seem like living with this first-year was going to leave him well and truly fucked.

Ai managed his classes for the day without falling asleep, something for which he was prouder than he should have been. Sleeping at his desk had left him sore and tired, and by the time he'd managed the walk back to his dorm room he was ready to just collapse and take a nap until dinner time.

He didn't make it that far, freezing after he opened the door to a blond stranger examining his bookcase. The boy, Ai decided they were probably the same age, looked up as he cleared his throat, magenta eyes sparkling with excitement.

“You must be Ai-chan!” He chirped, his face brightening even further as Ai gave a hesitant nod. He bounded across the room at an alarming speed, his arms wrapping around Ai's slender waist and hoisting him into a constricting hug.

“U-um, who are you?” He asked when his feet had safely returned to the floor. The blond was roughly the same height though his voice and attitude made him seem much bigger. His eyes squinted as he smiled, bowing his head once.

“I'm Hazuki Nagisa! Ooh, you can just call me Nagisa though, okay?” He smiled and his eyes were so openly hopeful that Ai simply nodded his assent.

“A-are you in my class? I don't think we've met...” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. If he'd met this person he didn't think he would ever have forgotten it.

“No no no, I'm one of Rinrin's friends! I came here so I could meet you!” He smiled even brighter, doing a twirl and looking around the room with a vivid smile. “It's nice here.”

“Ah, Rin's friend,” he blinked as a thought dawned on him, dropping his voice almost to a whisper. “The clairvoyant one?”

Nagisa paused at the word, nodding his head and seeming far too pleased that Ai knew even that much. He decided not to repeat the other things that Rin had said.

“So he did tell you about me! I haven't seen Rin-chan in a loonng time,” he pouted at that, flopping down on Rin's bunk and mussing the neatly made blanket. “But I actually just came to talk to you Ai-chan.”

“W-why did you want to talk to me?” Ai was genuinely curious. He'd never met a clairvoyant before this, but he'd always pictured them as being aloof, too involved in their visions of the future and connection to the other side to take much interest in other people.

“Cuz you're Rin-chan's destiny!” He bolted up to sitting as he said it, snatching Rin's pillow and hugging it tight to his chest. “I realized it last night when Haru-chan and Mako-chan ran into him again.”

“H-his what?” Ai's voice was dangerously close to shouting and he took a breath to calm himself. “I-I thought the future was... indefinite.”

“Ah well,” Nagisa smiled, scratching the back of his head and letting the tip of his tongue poked between his lips. “That's true, but it's also not. A lot of things depend on the choices that people make. But! I've had a vision of Rin in this very room kissing you since I was little, and it never changed.”

Ai's face was bright red at the thought alone, struggling to swallow down the embarrassment. “A-and that makes it uh, destiny?”

“Mhmm! Because no matter what choices you and Rin-chan made before it'll always lead you right to that spot!” He flopped back onto the bed, still hugging Rin's pillow with a wistful sigh. “It's perfect for Rinrin because it's so romantic.”

“D-did you uh, tell him about... all of that?” Ai couldn't quite bring himself to say 'kissing'. Nagisa shook his head and kicked his feet outwards with a whine.

“Rin-chan never believes me about these things. But that's okay, it'll happen.” He smiled at Ai and the way his eyes sparkled left no doubt in his mind that the clairvoyant would find some way to make sure that it did.

“You should be careful though, Ai-chan,” Nagisa sounded oddly serious, his head tilted to let him look directly at Ai rather than at the top of the bunk. “I had a really scary dream about you and Rin-chan the other night. That's how I knew he was back.”

“A-a dream? What happened?” He asked, leaning forward onto his knees. The clairvoyant was turning out to be... interesting, at the very least. “Do you dream about the future a lot?”

“I dream about things that might happen all the time! That's when my visions are the clearest,” he sat up with a little sigh, and the smile on his face had dimmed for the first time. “You're someone who wants to do a lot of good, right Ai-chan?”

Ai nodded his head, wondering how in the world the question related to something in his future that Nagisa would find scary. “Well yes. That's why I decided to become a hunter.”

“Oh oh! I should tell your fortune!” Nagisa crowed, sounding pleased by his own idea. Ai's head was spinning from the sudden change of mood, and the beaming look on Nagisa's face was back. He didn't wait for an answer, instead he starting digging through the school bag that he had with him. “C'moonn I know you're in here.”

“Aha!” He giggled, pulling out a beat up deck of cards. It took Ai a moment to realize they were tarot and he raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Those really tell the future?” He asked, tilting his head as Nagisa began shuffling them deftly. Nagisa nodded his head with a smile, tucking a loose blond curl behind his ear. He beckoned Ai over, smiling as he sat reluctantly on the bed and dealing out three cards from the battered deck. He blinked down at them, the most still and focused that Ai had seen him since the blond had arrived in his room. Ai looked down at the card, but other than the pictures being nice and colorful they didn't mean much of anything to him. 

“Mm, let's see you have the Moon, the Tower, and Strength...” Nagisa tapped each card in turn, his brows knit together in thought. He looked up with a wary smile and a soft sigh. “The Moon means that you'll probably have an up and down time coming up, but along with the Tower it says to me that things you used to think were true might not be... and it'll be hard to judge what the real facts are. The Tower is all about rude awakenings, really.”

“Strength here means that you'll need something or someone else to come to terms with things. That if your body is weak then you need someone with a strong one. It'll be a good fit, whoever it is because they'll need Ai-chan's strong heart too!” Nagisa looked up with a giggle and a wink at that, gazing over Ai's shoulder with a wild wave.

“Rinrin! Do you want me to read your fortune too?” He questioned and Ai turned to look at Rin with uncertainty. Rin looked surprised more than anything, pushing the door shut and shaking his head with a sort of dazed expression.

“Don't call me that,” he managed after a moment. His tone was gruff, but there was a smile on his face that betrayed it. “You come to bug my roommate or me?”

“Both!” He chirped, gathering the cards back up with a grin. “I wanted Ai-chan to know that he's your destiny!”

Rin's face went red, groaning loudly and pressing his hand over his eyes. He did not seem to want to know why Nagisa was so sure of that and Ai was glad. 

“Don't be mad Rin-chan! I'm sure it'll be fun,” the sound Nagisa made could almost have been a cackle, and Rin dropped his hands with a dramatic sigh. He leaned on the desk, setting his bag down and shaking his head.

“You tell them you were coming for a visit?” Rin asked, one eyebrow quirked upwards. Nagisa shrugged a little, leaning back on Rin's pillow with a smile.

“Mako-chan and Haru-chan aren't mad at you,” he offered and Rin rolled his eyes. “Nah, I didn't tell them. I had to skip our meeting to get here though so I'm sure they'll figure it out.”

“Was part of your mission to scold me?” Rin asked and chuckled a little as Nagisa puffed his cheeks out in a pout. “I'm not apologizing. It wasn't my fault.”

“I don't care about your silly fight! But they're still your friends... You should've told us you came home. Gou-chan said she hasn't even seen you yet!” Nagisa crossed his arms over his chest, still pouting dramatically.

“Ah,” Rin sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, I should probably call her back.”

He glanced at the confused expression on Ai's face and shrugged his shoulders with a half-smile. “Gou's my little sister. I came straight here from Australia, I haven't seen her yet.”

“Gou-chan's a really scary manager,” Nagisa stuck his tongue out, pulling himself off the bed with a labored sigh. “I have to go get yelled at by her and Rei-chan for skipping.”

Rin chuckled at that, his cheeks flushing again as Nagisa wrapped his arms tightly around Rin's waist after standing, capturing him in a hug that left Rin's hands fluttering awkwardly in the air like he wasn't sure how a hug was supposed to be returned. Nagisa let go before he had settled them, leaning up and whispering something to Rin that made him bare his teeth and shove the blond through the door.

“Enough with your perverted prophecies!” He snapped, shutting the door just a little too hard in Nagisa's wake. Nitori looked up at him with a tilt of his head, wondering for a moment why Rin was staring at him so intently.

“I-is my bed comfy?” He asked and Nitori's cheeks instantly flamed just as red as Rin's. He hopped up quickly, apologies bubbling out of his lips before he could stop them.

“S-sorry! Nagisa wanted to read my fortune and he just sat down here and I didn't really think about it,” he stood stiff and rigid and was surprised when Rin chuckled softly at him.

“I wasn't kicking you out,” Rin offered with a smile, rolling his eyes as Nitori sat back down at the desk, pulling another heavy leather book out from his bag. “I'm letting you read that for an hour and then I'm cutting you off.”

Nitori actually giggled at that, scratching at the back of his neck with a soft smile. “It's still early Senpai, I promise I'll stop early and go to bed.”

Rin glowered a little before sighing and tossing his hands up before grinning a little wickedly, shaking his head. “One hour or I tell Mikoshiba you slept at your desk.”

The threat was hollow, mostly. Rin was fairly sure that the captain was still annoyed with him, but Nitori seemed to accept what he had to say a little more readily, and with his constant worrying Mikoshiba certainly wouldn't want him passed out on his books again. Nitori groaned, shaking his head and covering his eyes.

“Don't tell Seji! He'll come in here and put me in bed every night for a week,” Rin couldn't help but laugh at the image. He had no doubts that Sejiuurou would do exactly that with no qualms whatsoever.

In the end, he wound up letting Nitori study until his head started to nod toward the page that he'd been reading. Rin gave his shoulder a gentle shake, fighting the urge to laugh as he looked up with sleep bleary eyes like he was struggling to register what was going on.

“Let's get you to bed,” Rin leaned over, sliding his arms under Nitori's as if to hug him. He used the grip to lift him out of the chair, laughter rumbling in his chest. Nitori's weight was dead in his arms before he nodded, settling his feet underneath him with a small struggle. Satisfied that he could get himself the rest of the way Rin started to let go, stopping when Nitori's slim fingers wrapped tightly around his wrists.

“Senpai,” he gave Rin a sleepy smile, tilting his head before leaning up and pressing their lips firmly together. Rin left a surprised noise against Nitori's mouth but before he could fully process the action Nitori had dropped back to his feet and turned to clumsily ascend the ladder. “Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Secrets rarely stay that way for long, Rin wonders about the nature of destiny.


	5. Chapter 5

The kiss went unmentioned between the two, and short of Rin's cringe nearly every time he saw Sejiuurou things proceeded normally. Rin even managed to convince the captain to give him an off-campus pass that allowed him to go see his little sister and endure her irritation that he didn't make time to do so sooner.

When Sejiuurou nearly burst into his room several days after the visit with a face-splitting grin on his face, ignoring the way Rin hunched over awkwardly as soon as he came in, it became clear that annoying Gou was the worst mistake he'd made since returning from Australia.

“Matsuoka-kun! You didn't tell me your sister was so beautiful!” He boomed and Rin uncurled himself with a hard glare.

“And how the fuck do you know what she looks like?” He snapped. Secretly dating Ai or not there was no way he wanted an idiot like that mooning over his baby sister.

“She came to see me last week. She wants us to start training with her Justiciar's, so get your shit ready. They'll be here in half an hour,” He glanced at Ai's bed with a smile and a wink before letting himself out just as abruptly as he came in, giving Rin no chance to argue that point.

He stood from the desk with a curse, kicking the lowest drawer and wheeling on Ai with a glare. It wasn't his fault, Rin knew, but 'Gou's Justiciar's' could really only mean Haru and Makoto and Rin was not happy with the prospect of seeing them again, or Nagisa. Usually, the blond was welcome company but listening to him insist that Ai was his destiny or whatever didn't sound any more fun than the captain hitting on his sister.

“Could you please keep your stupid boyfriend on a leash?” He demanded hotly. He'd avoided the subject with Ai entirely, but even as the first-year jolted up in his bed to deny their relationship as he always did Rin shook his head. “I don't give a shit about you dating him or screwing him or whatever he's doing, just keep him out of my life.”

“Rin,” Ai's voice was small, and the hurt on his face was almost more than he could make himself look at. “S-Seji is my older brother.”

“Y-your what?” His voice rose with the confusion, and the shouting made Ai drawback further into his blankets. Rin huffed out a breath, trying to calm himself down. “Your names Nitori. Is he like your step brother or something?”

“Ah no,” Ai rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, kneeling on the bed now. “I'm adopted. My parents were Council members when they vanished and the Order didn't want me to take Mikoshiba as a name after they took me in.”

Rin blinked, blood creeping into his face. “T-that's what he meant when he said you should just tell the truth?”

“You heard that?” Ai groaned then nodded, biting down on his lip. “Yeah, that's what he meant. I didn't want you to think I was just the captain's annoying little brother... I wanted to stand on my own.”

Rin's anger deflated with a weak nod. Sejiuurou's overprotective attitude made a lot more sense to him now; all Gou did was manage a group of hunters and it was enough to make him worry about her safety, he couldn't imagine having to watch her hunt as often as he and Ai did without even being there to help. “Well, that... Makes sense, I guess.”

Ai was smiling tentatively, climbing off the bed after grabbing the strange knife from under his pillow. He rarely used in actual hunting, favoring the odd style of martial arts that left smoking wounds in the skin of any demon he touched. Despite having gone on almost a dozen hunts together, Rin still didn't understand what kind of magic Ai was using.

Sometimes it seemed stronger than others, like the night they'd had to fight at least thirty Imps and he'd had ribbons of milky white wrapped around his arms. They'd flowed with his movements and he'd used them both to block attacks and to burn Imps, or slice them in half.

“What's with the blade, anyways?” Rin asked, realizing he never had before despite his curiosity. Ai looked down at it, his cheeks flushing a sweet shade of pink.

“O-oh, it was my dads,” he looked up with a shrug and a smile. He hovered for a moment before tucking it back under his pillow. “I don't really know how to use it, it just makes me feel a little better.”

Rin nodded, looking away a little awkwardly before turning towards the door with a sigh. “Well let's get this over with.”

His head was buzzing with the new information. Everything Ai had said had left him with more questions than answers, but it seemed like waiting to ask them until after this training wouldn't hurt his chances of getting answers.

Ai followed after him down to the mostly abandoned gym that they had used for the few training sessions Sejiuurou insisted on. Hunting had kept Rin and Ai busy enough that putting in the extra hours to train risked them using the energy they might need to hunt later. As they walked Rin glanced at Ai from the corner of his eye, noticing the dark circles painted under his eyes that never seemed to fade. Even when he wasn't passed out at his desk in the morning Ai never seemed to sleep well. It was concerning, especially because Rin had to rely on Ai almost entirely during hunts. He kept up though, despite all of Rin's worries.

Sejiuurou was already in the gym when they arrived, to the surprise of neither. He didn't look up when they walked in, instead staring down at the girl that Ai could easily peg as Rin's younger sister. She had the same crimson hair, hers tied into a long ponytail, and though her face was rounder and more serene than Rin's there was the same fire in her eyes. It also took him only a moment to realize that Sejiuurou was entirely smitten with her. 

She looked over to them with an easy smile, waving and nearly bounding to her brother. She stopped with her arms akimbo, looking up at him with a little huff. "Nii-chan you're late to your own training!"

"I wasn't really prepared to have one," he scratched the back of his head with a sigh, accepting the hug she gave him with one arm and a roll of his eyes. She shrugged at that, looking up at him with a giggle and jabbing her elbow into his stomach as she let go.

"If I told you, you would've found a way out of it," she seemed to notice Ai for the first time, turning to him with a vibrant smile. Ai smiled back easily, glad that she didn't have the same threatening aura as her brother. "You must be Nitori-san. Nii-chan says you're a really impressive hunter."

Ai blinked his eyes at that, pointing a finger at himself and tilting his head with a small laugh. "He said that about me?"

She nodded, glancing up at Rin's red cheeks with a giggle. Ai was curious about anything else Rin might have said about him, but he was distracted by a small group filing into the otherwise empty gym. He recognized Haru and Makoto easily, heads bent together in conversation as they walked. He glanced away quickly, not sure he wanted to be caught staring at the pair of Justiciar's. They may have been Rin's childhood friends, but after the fight he'd seen Ai still found the pair to be intimidating. Instead, he smiled at Nagisa and the tall boy who was walking at his side.

As soon as Nagisa saw him he broke into a run, hugging Ai so fiercely that it nearly knocked them both to the ground. Ai accepted it with a surprised squeak, his arms pinned to his sides by Nagisa's impressive grip. He was saved by Makoto laying a strong hand on the blond's shoulder, smiling gently as he encouraged Nagisa to let go.

"I'm sorry," Makoto ducked his head a little and Ai nodded. He wasn't sure if Makoto was apologizing for Nagisa's behavior or their earlier meeting, but he was willing to accept it either way. "I didn't really get a chance to introduce myself before. I'm Makoto Tachibana."

Ai bowed his head with a gentle smile, trying to ignore the pressure of Haru staring directly at him. "Aiichirou Nitori. It's nice to actually meet you."

Rin 'tsk'-d from behind him but Ai managed to avoid the urge to roll his eyes. Haru didn't step forward to introduce himself, seeming content to meld into the background with Rin glaring at him obstinately. He glanced at the boy trying his best to restrain Nagisa with a small smile before Sejiuurou cleared his throat loudly to gather everyone's attention.

“Alright, Gou-san filled me in on you all already. Ai, show Ryugazaki-kun our exercises, I'll work with Tachibana-kun since we're both Wardens,” he glanced between Rin and Haru with a sigh. “You two warm-up and please don't try to kill each other.”

Ai was surprised to find that Rin's sister wasn't a hunter as well, instead she and Nagisa took seats to the side, Nagisa's loud cheering echoing against the walls of the gym. Ai turned to Rei with a calm smile after he introduced himself, one hand holding his glasses in place as he bowed. Ai returned the gesture before taking a seat on the floor and folding his legs together.

“I'm guessing Seji put you with me because you're purely a caster,” Rei nodded, grimacing at the floor before taking a seat as well. “I kind of fall in the middle, but if I have time I always start with a meditation. It helps keep your casting pure.”

Rei nodded, glancing at Haru and Rin before quickly looking back at Ai and tilting his head. “Haruka-senpai and Matsuoka-san don't?”

Ai shook his head, folding his hands in his lap. He was actually a little surprised by Rei's curiosity. “No. Since they manipulate things that already exist they don't require any meditation. They just have to make sure they have a source to draw from.”

Rei nodded thoughtfully then pushed his glasses up and closed his eyes. Ai smiled as he did the same, holding them shut. He had always found it comforting to picture the moon when he meditated, rather than trying to think of nothing. It glowed in his mind's eye, the light calming and inviting. He let thoughts of anything else pass through his mind without letting them linger there.

“Ai-chan! Rei-chan! You're being boorriinngg,” Nagisa shouted after several minutes. Rei's eyes snapped open instantly, looking over with frustration that was somewhat forced.

“Nagisa-kun, we're preparing ourselves to work! It's not supposed to be exciting,” he sounded exasperated at having to explain but it only made Nagisa boo and Ai smile.

“That's okay, Ryugazaki-san,” he looked up at Sejiuurou and Makoto, apparently trying to see who could hold a barrier the longest. “We can try sparring if you'd like.”

“That would be agreeable,” he stood as Ai did, his tone a little nervous. He leaned slightly closer, adjusting his glasses in a way that Ai was beginning to recognize as habit. “I don't have very much ah, combat experience.”

Ai shook his head, taking a step back and adopting his stance. “That's okay. Don't think of it as fighting to win. Instead try and focus on breaking my defense and we can go from there.”

“You seem very experienced,” he observed, trying to imitate the stance that Ai had taken. Ai shrugged his shoulders at that, smiling and closing his eyes for a second, streams of light wrapping themselves around his arms and hands. The light was tinted blue and hugged close to his pale skin like bandages, wrapping between his fingers. Rei stared at that, blinking his eyes in surprise.

“I'm not really, at least by Order standards,” he shrugged, giving Rei a small nod. He hadn't asked what kind of casting the other boy could use, and so he shifted his arms to give his body more cover to block.

Rei lunged forward with the bottoms of his hands pressed together, fingers spread out. The strike stopped several inches short of Ai's chest, iridescent purple bursting forth from both palms to close the distance. Rather than trying to dodge away Ai dropped one of his arms towards the shot, the light wrapping around his arm sparkling vibrant blue as the blast collided with it, fizzling away.

Rei stepped back with a nod, staring at Ai's arm where the shock of blue was slowly fading away, ripples of it traveling up and down the binding he had created to protect his skin.

“That's very interesting Nitori-san,” he paused, one finger tapping his chin curiously. “You said it was casting, correct? Not a manipulation of forces?”

Ai's cheeks flushed at that, lifting a hand and rubbing the back of his head shyly. Rin had commented on the same thing as well.

“Ah, I'm actually not very sure? When I was training with the Order no one could tell me. It's just um, innate really,” he flushed a little further, holding an arm out and letting the band of light unravel. Rather than allowing it to dissipate into the air he held it there for Rei to step close and examine.

“Can you do this in darkness as well?” Rei asked, leaning close and pressing his fingers against the band with a surprised expression when it was solid under his touch. Ai shrugged his shoulders, glancing up at Makoto and Sejiuurou staring now as well. Makoto seemed awed by the sight, but Ai could read the sour note in his brothers face even from a distance.

“I can at night, yeah. I've never tried in like... A dark room or anything,” he flushed a little more as Sejiuurou turned to approach them, Rei taking no notice as he continued to study the trail of light.

“Everything okay?” He questioned, making Rei jerk up in embarrassed surprise at how close his voice was. Ai nodded, flicking his wrist and causing both beams to fade back into the air with a tight smile.

“Fine, Nii-chan. Should we do a group exercise?” He turned and looked up with a tilt of his head, ignoring the confused expressions boring into his back. He was eager to push attention off of himself rather than entertain more questions that he had no answers to.

Especially because Sejiuurou's annoyance was making it seem like he did have some kind of answer. Ai's gaze flitted over the set of his shoulders and the tightening of his jaw. He have a half shrug at the suggestion and nodded.

“Sure, we'll do a round of capture the flag,” he turned and nodded at Haru and Rin, ignoring the thick sheet of frozen silence between them. “You two run point.”

“Basically you just need to protect Nanase-san and try to catch Rin-senpai,” Ai explained to Rei with a small smile, noting the confused expression on his face. He turned to make his way over to Rin, casting Sejiuurou one last appraising glance. 

Rin was a little glad he'd been stuck warming up with Haru. He seemed just as content with not speaking as Rin was, leaving plenty of space for him to contemplate his talk with Ai. It would have been easy to pass over the conversation, or at least leave it for later if the image of Ai's sleepy smile immediately after kissing him didn't keep jumping into his mind. He'd tried hard not to think about that event since the day it'd happened; even with Ai's constant denial it seemed far too obvious that he was something to the captain. 

Rin hadn't been prepared for that something to be younger sibling. Now the thought of Ai kissing him was making something warm and interested curl in his stomach like a contented cat. Haru walked away with an impassive expression when Sejiuurou suggested capture the flag, letting Makoto tie a small blue cloth around one of his arms. Ai took the red scarf from Sejiuurou and said something that Rin didn't catch before Ai bounded over with a wide smile and offered the fabric to Rin.

He blinked once before rolling his eyes and leaning over with his arm outstretched, letting Ai tie it on him with a fleeting smile. It seemed like it would be a little bit strange to tell him that Rin was glad he was adopted, though he was even if it was only for selfish reasons. Rin's mind came back to bare when a chunk of ice whizzed inches past his face. He looked at Sejiuurou with a growl on his lips, blinking as he finds a bright orange spear in the captains hands. He vaguely remembered him talking about a warding technique specific to the Mikoshiba family though Rin hadn't seen him use it in any of the practices they had done before. Ai looked at Rei with bright eyes as he tried to lunge toward Rin, ducking easily under the taller boys guard and rolling him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

That was far more a surprise to Rei than Rin; he'd seen Ai do it before to a demon almost twice his height. The grapple left Rei sitting on the floor with a slightly stunned expression, studying the line of Ai's back as if trying to decide where the muscle for that had come from. Ai didn't dawdle, looking to Sejiuurou with a nod that Rin almost missed before moving himself towards Haru. He wasn't truly in his element, in a fight Ai almost always let Rin be the total focus of an enemy, using whatever terrain he could find to hide himself and utilize distance and surprise to attack. The gym was too wide and empty to give him any cover though Haru was still focused on trying to hit Rin in the face with a block of ice that he moved nimbly around the empty space.

Ai was able to position himself well enough to attack after Rin grabbed hold of the block and melted it with an annoyed roll of his eyes. It was easy to see that Haru wasn't taking this seriously while Rei was trying to catch the spear out of Sejiuurou's hands with a winding purple chain. He managed to snag hold of it but squawked indignantly when it exploded in the space between them. Ai made his move then, whip-like strands of light flowing from his fingers, trying to wrap themselves around Haru.

They were stopped by a tall panel of dark green, Makoto smiling peacefully from his place slightly behind Haru. Ai blinked his eyes, letting them retract before tilting his head. It looked like he was expecting some kind of counterattack from Makoto that never came. Haru's attention seemed drawn to the barrier as soon as it appeared, frost clinging to the tips of his fingers as he turned his head to look at Ai. The barrier faded and Ai stumbled back a step, eyes narrowed in focus. Rin half expected him to look scared of the pair bearing down on him until his blue eyes gave the tiniest flicker to Rin.

He smirked at that, sliding himself behind Sejiuurou as quietly as he could. It felt strangely good to have Ai's trust placed in him, the knowledge bubbling through his veins. It seemed obvious he would have it, Ai had been his partner long enough now. Haru Rin's mind came back to bare when a chunk of ice whizzed inches past his face. He looked at Sejiuurou with a growl on his lips, blinking as he finds a bright orange spear in the captain's hands. He vaguely remembered him talking about a warding technique specific to the Mikoshiba family though Rin hadn't seen him use it in any of the practices they had done before. Ai looked at Rei with bright eyes as he tried to lunge toward Rin, ducking easily under the taller boys guard and rolling him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

That was far more a surprise to Rei than Rin; he'd seen Ai do it before to a demon almost twice his height. The grapple left Rei sitting on the floor with a slightly stunned expression, studying the line of Ai's back as if trying to decide where the muscle for that had come from. Ai didn't dawdle, looking to Sejiuurou with a nod that Rin almost missed before moving himself towards Haru. He wasn't truly in his element, in a fight Ai almost always let Rin be the total focus of an enemy, using whatever terrain he could find to hide himself and utilize distance and surprise to attack. The gym was too wide and empty to give him any cover though Haru was still focused on trying to hit Rin in the face with a block of ice that he moved nimbly around the empty space.

Ai was able to position himself well enough to attack after Rin grabbed hold of the block and melted it with an annoyed roll of his eyes. It was easy to see that Haru wasn't taking this seriously while Rei was trying to catch the spear out of Sejiuurou's hands with a winding purple chain. He managed to snag hold of it but squeaked indignantly when it exploded in the space between them. Ai made his move then, whip-like strands of light flowing from his fingers, trying to wrap themselves around Haru.

They were stopped by a tall panel of dark green, Makoto smiling peacefully from his place slightly behind Haru. Ai blinked his eyes, letting them retract before tilting his head. It looked like he was expecting some kind of counterattack from Makoto that never came. Haru's attention seemed drawn to the barrier as soon as it appeared, frost clinging to the tips of his fingers as he turned his head to look at Ai. The barrier faded and Ai stumbled back a step, eyes narrowed in focus. Rin half expected him to look scared of the pair bearing down on him until his blue eyes gave the tiniest flicker to Rin.

He smirked at that, sliding himself behind Sejiuurou as quietly as he could. It felt strangely good to have Ai's trust placed in him, the knowledge bubbling through his veins. It seemed obvious he would have it, Ai had been his partner long enough now. Haru turned his shoulder towards Ai, looking back to Rin with a twitch at the corner of his mouth when the blue scarf around his arm lit with a single flickering flame.

"Ah, great job Senpai!" Ai smiled wide at him, looking at Haru and Makoto and giving them both a small bow. Sejiuurou clapped the back of his shoulder with just a fraction more force than was actually required, an improvement from the times when he did it so hard that it nearly sent Rin flying. Mikoshiba may have been nearly a giant, but it was obvious he had more control of his strength than he wanted Rin to believe.

"You too," he congratulated, reaching a hand out and giving Ai's hair a gentle ruffle. Sejiuurou called them back as a group, leading several more exercises in focus and strength before Gou announced that they had to leave or risk missing their train. Rin was surprised to find himself giving Haru's shoulder a playful nudge as he walked out with them, catching the way the corners of his mouth turned up just a little.

"You did good today," he mumbled out, cradling the back of his head with both hands. Complementing Haru was rarely a fruitful exercise, and he merely shrugged and grunted in response. It was good though, it made Rin smile just a little wider that he still knew what to expect out of Haru.

"I'll beat you next time," he finally said, voice quiet as Rin leaned his back on the front gate. He scoffed a little at Haru's confidence, giving a nod to Makoto standing just a foot away as always. The smile on his face was almost what Rin would call rapturous. Nagisa wheeled from talking to Rei to wave, looking as if he was going to tackle Rin until Rei's fingers gripped the back of his shirt to hopefully restrain Nagisa's exuberance. Rin waved with a roll of his eyes, bidding a final goodbye before turning and walking back to his dorm alone. Ai had quietly remarked that he wanted to talk with his brother about something though Rin had expected he just wanted to give him time with his friends.

That was until he walked into the hall and could clearly hear the sounds of Ai and Sejiuurou arguing from the captains room. The shouting set a grimace on his face. He hadn't ever seen the two of them have a disagreement that wasn't settled with a final decision from Mikoshiba or a particularly petulant pout from Ai. This was something else entirely, and the door was ill-equipped to contain the sound of Sejiuurou's booming voice.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Ai demanded, his voice cracking in the middle. Rin's cheeks flushed a little as he realized he was basically eavesdropping, despite being unable to force himself to leave.

"What do you care about them?" Sejiuurou was actually yelling, his voice hot and angry through the door. "They aren't your family."

"Seji..." Ai hesitated and Rin reached for the door knob to their room, scolding himself for listening at all. "I need to know these things. I need to understand who I am."

Rin pushed the door shut behind him with a click that sounded far too loud. He swung himself into his bunk and closed his eyes tightly, trying to wash his mind clean of words that weren't his to hear. Hearing only pieces of their conversations had already gotten him into trouble once, and here he was again with another subject he wasn't sure how to approach.

It was another ten minutes before Ai let himself into the room, wiping his arm at his eyes and starting as he saw Rin watching him from the bed. His cheeks went red and he looked away quickly, trying to hide the pink puffiness of his eyes, the tears that still left them glassy and far away.

"S-senpai. I didn't think you were back yet," the words came out thick and heavy and he moved to pull himself up the ladder before Rin was sure of how to reply. "I-I'm pretty tired, I think I'm gonna go to bed."

"Ai," Rin said his name quietly but it was enough to make him freeze with one hand wrapped around the steel ladder. Rin pushed himself off the bed, reaching out an unsure hand and resting it on Ai's shoulder. Usually, any contact he initiated made the first-year beam like he'd been touched by the sun. This time he only leaned into the warmth of Rin's hand with a half-suppressed sniffle. "What's wrong?"

"I got into a fight with Seji," he responded softly before sighing and letting go of the ladder altogether. He let Rin guide him to sit gently on the bottom bunk, rubbing his sleeve over his eyes once again as if he wanted all evidence of his sadness to disappear. "I asked him about my birth family."

Rin cringed just a little but nodded, rubbing his hand weakly up and down Ai's back and letting him decide what he wanted to share. Ai's breaths fell in and out slowly and Rin could feel the shuddering way they wracked through his small body. For a moment, Rin thought that was all he would say until Ai shook his head back and forth slowly.

"I never asked before. Not him or our parents," he sighed, brushing the silver hair out of his face. "I shouldn't have, Seji gets mad if other people ask about me being adopted."

"Why?" Rin asked, genuinely curious. Ai barked out a quiet laugh, lips quirking into a shaky smile.

"To him there's no difference. Telling people that I'm adopted is like telling them that I'm not a real part of his family, which he doesn't believe is true," Ai shrugged, letting his hands knit together in his lap. "It doesn't really bother me usually, and I've never wanted to know about my parents before but..."

He sighed, leaning his head on Rin's shoulder and letting his eyes drift closed. The contact made Rin tense, swallowing as he continued sliding his hand up and down, drawing soothing circles on Ai's back.

"I don't really understand it myself, but it feels like something is missing from me. I don't know myself like I should, and I think it has something to do with them," he sighed again, wiping the last tears from his eyes. He nuzzled lightly at the swell of Rin's shoulder then blushed, bolting up and biting his lip harshly. "S-sorry Rin-senpai! I didn't mean to trouble you."

Rin blinked as the weight of Ai's body lifted away, turning and shaking his head with a soft smile. He hesitated before reaching an arm out and wrapping it around Ai's shoulders with a grunt, pulling him so his head was resting on Rin's chest instead. There was a strong temptation to press his lips to the crown of Ai's head, to let himself smell his silver hair, but Rin settled instead for rubbing his shoulder.

"It's not troubling me," he stated simply, keeping his hand moving up and down over Ai's back. Ai hiccuped softly, his tears finally seeming to stop. He wiped at his face again but didn't lean his weight away from the easy comfort of Rin's side. He sighed, rubbing at his eyes and biting down on his lower lip.

"T-thank you Senpai," he mumbled after a moment, seeming to hover there, caught by deciding between disengaging from Rin's side or staying where he was. Rin nodded, leaning over and tilting Ai's chin up so they were facing one another now, pausing to wipe his thumb over the tear stains on his cheek, gaze drifting between his eyes and his lips for just a moment before kissing him softly. Ai didn't freeze at the contact, instead seeming to melt into everywhere that Rin touched him.

Rin stroked his fingers through the fuzzy hairs on the nape of Ai's neck, cheeks flushed when he leaned their foreheads together after a moment. He could see Ai's smile, feel the warm puffs of air against his lips with every breath that they shared. He was glad Ai was smiling, at the very least. He hadn't been prepared to see someone so gratingly cheerful in tears, let alone being the only person to comfort him.

"Here I thought you didn't like kissing me," Ai mumbled before tilting his head and pressing their lips together again. Internally Rin cursed himself for not believing Ai's constant denial that he and Sejiuurou were dating. It felt like a waste of time now that he had Ai pressed warm and content against him. His kisses tasted sweet and warm, and it seemed like at least for the moment his fight with his brother wouldn't be a problem.

Until, of course, the captain banged the door open with his usual disregard for privacy. It was the kind of situation that had given Rin nightmares in the past; walking into his little sister's room to find her making out with some guy. So when Sejiuurou stopped dead at the sight, totally silent, Rin could easily understand the rage burning in his eyes. Ai jolted upright, blinking owlishly and staring at the way Sejiuurou's face twisted with shock and anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Things start falling into and out of place.


	6. Chapter 6

"You've got a job," he said, voice shot through with frozen rage. Rin stared dumbly at him for another moment before nodding and pulling himself to his feet, his fingers skating over Ai's back as he pulled his arm back to his side. He found himself wishing that Sejiuurou would yell, or even hit him, that he would do anything except stand in the doorway and just stare at him. He met the glare with one of his own, his nature not allowing him to stand there without some kind of response.

"W-what is it?" Ai asked after a moment, still sitting in Rin's bed like he was pinned there. He didn't seem quite scared, but his face was bright red and the embarrassment was palpable. Sejiuurou didn't soften when he looked at Ai and Rin was sure that was the first time he'd seen the captain look so hard at Ai. 

"Possession," he responded simply, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Rin's back. He cringed just a little under the weight of it, squeezing his lighter between his fingers and sighing before turning around. He raised an eyebrow at Sejiuurou's bulk filling the entire doorway then just shook his head.

"If you're gonna hit me just do it," he offered, tucking his hands into his pockets and standing firm in the middle of the room. He didn't feel bad about kissing Ai in the least, even if being caught doing it was not the ideal. Especially when it was well before he had any idea what kissing him might actually mean in the long run.

"Quiet Matsuoka. Just do your job," Sejiuurou didn't quite snap, his voice was too chillingly calm to call it that. Rin rolled his eyes, glancing at Ai digging for a jacket in his drawers and shaking his head.

"I'm not dealing with you acting like this forever. I can handle whatever you wanna do about this," he made a vague gesture around the room at the word 'this', letting his gaze drift pointedly to Ai's back. "He's your brother, I get it."

"No, you don't," Sejiuurou grunted, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. Rin could see Ai's teeth digging into his lower lip when he looked back at his brother, brows settled low in concern. He hadn't said anything else, his fingers drumming a worried rhythm on the top of his dresser. "We can discuss it later."

Rin growled just a little, trying to resist the urge to sneer at the captains irritated face. He wasn't patient, and waiting for Sejiuurou to make some kind of decision about whether or not he was permitted to do what he pleased was not Rin's style. Even if there was a job, there was no way there wasn't time to handle things here and now. Still, Ai cleared his throat delicately, crumbling just a little of the tension that wrapped the room in heavy layers.

"We should go, I can track it," he nodded at Rin though his face was still solemn. Sejiuurou glanced at the both of them before walking back to his room without another word, the door banging shut hard behind him. Ai stared after him a moment, something like hurt flitting across his features before he shook his head hard to clear it and padded out the door. He filled his lungs with a deep breath as he walked down the stairs, not looking at Rin walking a few steps behind him, fingers stuffed firmly in the center pocket of his hoodie.

Ai seemed to wander for awhile without being able to really pick up on the possession at all, looking around and poking his head down dark alleys. He continued looking more and more confused though Rin decided not to comment until the first time he led them in a circle.

"What's wrong?" He asked finally, laying a hand on Ai's shoulder to stop his wandering. He turned, blinking and scratching the back of his head.

"I think there's more than one," he sounded confused. He looked up at Rin with a weak smile, sighing. "There's not really a trail because there's so much residue. I don't think a single possession could leave this much."

"Can you find a source at all?" Rin raised an eyebrow, tucking his hands into his pockets and looking around the street. Possessions had become easy to pick off with Ai; he was able to track them more easily than anything else and pull them out of people without having to hurt them at all. Rin was happier about that than any other advantage of hunting with Ai at his side; having to literally burn the demon out of a human being was something that still starred in the forefront of his nightmares.

Ai shook his head, huffing out a frustrated sigh. He looked at seemingly nothing, his brow furrowed in thought before looking up at Rin. "I might be able to draw it out though."

"How?" Rin didn't entirely like the sound of drawing anything out, especially with the nervous glitter he could see in Ai's wide blue eyes.

"The uh, strands... The residue that they leave behind. If I start touching it I think they'll come after me," he bit his lip, looking at a spot over Rin's shoulder. "There's a lot of it around, it should be easy to set up an ambush."

"So you're gonna be bait?" Rin snorted, shaking his head and reaching in his pocket, pulling his phone out. "I can call Nagisa and see if he can give us a lead."

"I can do this," Ai's voice was sharp in the night air, he tilted his chin up as he looked at Rin. "If I can bring them into a trap we can prevent them from anchoring any deeper while we look around."

"You're talking about dangling yourself on a hook. Do you even know how many there are?" Rin's voice rose a little and he sighed, sucking air in through his teeth to try and calm down. It didn't really work, Ai just shook his head and continued staring him dead in the eye.

"I can do this Rin-senpai," he repeated and the steel in his voice was something entirely new. Rin hesitated again before pulling his phone out, mouth set in a hard line.

"Your brother is going to kill me for this. How do you wanna do it?" He relented, glad that Ai at least didn't brighten at his agreement. The determination didn't leave his face, and it was becoming apparent to Rin just how in trouble he might be with this budding relationship.

"Stay out of sight. I think once they know someone can see them, they'll come straight to me," he shrugged his shoulders, a fleeting smile on his face. "It might not even work."

Rin grunted at that, looking around before ducking in the doorway of a closed shop, leaning his shoulders on the brick of the building. He couldn't see Ai anymore and he closed his eyes for a second, breathing out slowly and making a quiet prayer that Ai was right and this stupid plan would fail. He didn't like it; the whole thing reeked like it had already gone bad.

Ai nodded his head as Rin stepped away, taking a steadying breath himself. He scanned the mess of black strands scattered around the edges of the sidewalk like the web of a manic spider. He found a knot so dense it looked like an animal crouched in midair and approached it slowly. The street was empty due to the late hour, and with light wrapping itself around his hand he reached out, swiping his fingers through the strands. They broke away, smoke curling in the air where they burned. He continued brushing his fingers through it until they were all gone.

The air around him remained quiet and Ai nudged his teeth against his lower lip. Maybe this wouldn't work after all. Still, they could be some distance away and rather than spending more time doubting himself he continued clearing more residue away. He had almost cleared one side of the sidewalk by the time a small group had rounded the corner. He glanced up at them, dropping his hand instantly to his side in an effort to hide what he was doing. The man in front stared directly at him, his lip curled over his teeth in a sneer. 

There were three of them, and for a moment Ai wondered if they were just a group of thugs who thought they'd found a lost student. Then the one in the lead smirked, the dark air around him seeming to shimmer and move and Ai's doubts were erased. He fell back a step, swallowing hard and hoping that Rin could tell that this is what they were waiting on. He couldn't say anything without giving his partner away, and instead Ai pulled his phone out, pretending to be preoccupied with the blank screen.

He could feel them advance towards him and tried not to pay any attention The beating of his heart sounded far too loud to Ai's own ears, his fingers curled too tight around his phone. He didn't look away until the man stopped only feet from him, looking up and trying to smile politely. It wouldn't be so terrifying really if he couldn't feel the waves of tainted energy rolling off of them, filling the air with quiet whispers.

"He's got pretty eyes, don't ya think?" The man asked after staring at Ai for a moment, looking over his shoulder at the woman behind him. She laughed high and haughty, sauntering a few steps forward. She was so close that Ai could feel the warm rush of her breath, the force of the monster inside of her threatening to swallow him whole.

"That he does," she cooed. She reached a hand out and Ai's entire body froze, a whimpering sound forming in the back of his throat as her nails stroked down the side of his face, leaving angry red lines behind them. "Can we keep him?"

The third man watched them in silence, the woman seeming entertained by the growing panic that forced Ai's throat to close over his words. Where was Rin? He had to be able to hear them, he had been right there...

"You never take good care of your pets Circe," the man in front smirked. She shrugged her shoulders, tilting Ai's face up towards the light and leaning closer. He could feel his knees trembling, threatening to give way underneath his weight. His mouth opened, but no sound came out, making Circe laugh again as she leaned closer and stared at his eyes again.

"He'll be fun while he lasts," she looked back at the third man, batting her eyelashes at his stony face. "Isn't that what matters?"

"No," he said finally. Ai's legs collapsed under the weight of that voice, knees biting hard into the pavement. He tried to curl in on himself, seeing any kind of refuge from the endless blackness wrapping its fingers around him. "Pets are too much to deal with. Hurry up and take care of it."

Circe looked at him with a pout on her face, nudging Ai's side with one foot. "You're no fun Azazel."

Ai curled further into himself, trying to think of some way to escape. His fingers covered his face and it was only then that he realized that the light that had been wrapped around his hand was gone entirely. He closed his eyes again, trying to focus on conjuring it like before but found he couldn't. No matter where he reached inside himself he couldn't find the connection that usually allowed him to control it so easily. He'd never had to think so hard about creating a light; it had always come to him as easily as breathing.

He blinked his eyes as he realized he was looking up into the first man's face suddenly, his back resting on the pavement. His eyes were so dark there was no definition between his pupil and iris, and when he smirked down at Ai his teeth were like rows of needles. The air pushed out of Ai's lungs in a single gasp, one of the man's heavy boots coming to rest in the center of his chest. He laughed, lifting it away before he kicked into Ai's side hard, laughter ringing like bells above him. His awareness hovered somewhere between different blows reigning down on his body and the dark curtain that had been hovering over him starting to lift away. There was shouting, but Ai couldn't really tell if it was his own or not, his eyes squeezed shut until a strange wave of heat flowed over him. He creaked his eyes open weakly, the world around him suddenly too bright and too hot.

His mind sluggishly realized there was a column of fire to his right, a crackling hissing sound coming from it. There was the sound of running too, and he stared at the leaping flames until Rin's face shot into his vision suddenly. It was surprising and the yelp that came from Ai's' throat made it feel like he'd spent days swallowing glass. Rin was on one knee next to him though one of his eyes wouldn't quite open all the way. Ai tried to smile at him, but it only made his mouth hurt and fill with a sharp metallic taste. 

"Ai, what the fuck-" Rin fumbled in his pocket, shuffling his phone out instead of the lighter. It didn't make any sense; he'd walked away not five minutes ago and there hadn't been a single sound from the street until he'd started shouting. Rin had stepped out of the doorway to find him curled on the pavement, bleeding with three people standing over them. Two of them had run before he'd even lit a spell, and the third was little more than a pile of ash next to his foot. At the very least it confirmed Rin's suspicion that they weren't human. Now he was trying to talk to Ai, who was staring at him like he wasn't sure who Rin even was. He didn't say anything and when he smiled it made blood spill from a split in his lip and run down his chin.

"Ai?" He demanded again, still getting nothing in response. He hit dial on the captain's number with a grunt, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder and sliding his arms under Ai's curled body. He shouted as Rin lifted him, fingers curling in a weak grip around his shirt. It was, of course, that moment that Sejiuurou picked up the phone because Rin just had that kind of luck lately.

"Matsuoka what the hell is going on?" He demanded, voice rising from confused to angry in record time. Ai looked slightly more alert as Rin shifted him in his arms, biting down on his lip this time to muffle any sound. Rin grit his teeth, using his sleeve to wipe the blood away from his mouth and the cut over his eye.

"I don't fucking know. It wasn't a possession. Call Gou, tell her to send Haru and Makoto out... Tell her to make Nagisa call me as soon as he's got them on a path," Rin barked the orders without caring much for Sejiuurou's station. "Ai's all fucked up, I don't know what happened."

To his surprise, Ai reached for the phone, sliding it away from Rin and closing his eyes for a moment before he began talking. "I think they were apparitions. There are two of them left."

His voice was hoarse as he spoke and Rin could feel the trembling running down his spine as he carried Ai as quickly as he dared back to the school.

"What the fuck was Matsuoka doing? Jerking himself off while you got attacked?" Sejiuurou growled. Ai shook his head, swallowing several times to try and ease the dryness of his throat.

"No, I don't think he could see them at all. Whatever they are, they're not minor classes like we're used to seeing," he let his head lean against Rin's chest, trying to turn his face to prevent getting blood on his white uniform blazer. "I couldn't cast anything at all Seji."

"Alright. I'll call Rin's sister and get her team on it," he sounded anything but happy, hanging up the phone without saying anything else. Ai closed it and let it rest on his stomach, looking up at Rin and trying to blink blood out of his vision. 

"S-sorry Senpai," he mumbled out, surprised when Rin looked down at him with a frown that only deepened.

"Don't be sorry," he shook his head, trying to breath evenly. It wasn't that he was angry with Ai for his plan failing, but concern was not an emotion he dealt with well and every instinct he had as a hunter was telling him he should be tracking down whatever was able to do this to his partner and burn it to dust. He was breathing heavy by the time he reached the top of the staircase to the dorm, more from nearly running the entire way back than the strain of supporting Ai's weight. He was surprisingly light, Rin's arms barely straining under the weight. Sejiuurou was in the middle of the hall, his eyes wide as Ai gave him the same weak smile he'd tried to give Rin.

He reached his arms out as if to take Ai in them but shook his head, turning instead and opening the door to his room, nodding Rin inside with a mute glare. Rin snorted, laying Ai down on the lower bed as gently as he could. It still caused him to hiss out quietly, screwing his eyes shut for a moment before pushing himself to sitting upright.

"S-shirt off," he mumbled to Rin's confused expression, managing to hoist it halfway over his own head. Rin slid it the rest of the way, stretching the collar to pull it over his head without letting it drag over the injuries to his face. He stayed sitting up, listening to Sejiuurou fumble in the bathroom as he searched for the first aid kit somewhere in its depths. Rin dropped the shirt and glared directly at Ai's chest.

Several angry bruises were already starting to flourish over his right side, wrapping their way around his back and darkening considerably in the middle. Ai lifted his arm a little to look down at them, wrinkling his nose. "Ouch."

Rin snorted out a helpless laugh, leaning his head forward to lay on Ai's knee. Sejiuurou continued with saying nothing when he walked back out, plastic box in hand. Rin's phone rang in his pocket and he slid it out.

"It's Nagisa," he confirmed before standing and walking into the hall before answering it. Sejiuurou stared for a moment at the marks on Ai's side before opening the box with a sigh, ripping open a wipe presoaked in alcohol.

"Close your eyes," he requested, his voice quivering just a little. Ai complied without complaint, his fingers twisting in the sheets as Sejiuurou wiped the cuts on his face clean. He was methodical and Ai wasn't surprised by his silence. He remembered the distantly fearful look in Sejiuurou's eyes from injuries he'd had as a child. He struggled to hold a smile on his face, nose wrinkling at the stinging touch of alcohol on his wounds. His brother was no fan of blood and when he finished he looked away with a rattling sigh.

"Did you get cut anywhere else?" He asked after a pause, looking a little too intently into the first aid kit as he hunted for a bandage. Ai shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the scuffed legs of his pants.

"I think I scraped my knees up, but I'll take care of them later," he responded easily, leaning forward as Sejiuurou stuck the bandage above his eye, holding his hair out of the way. He tried focusing on keeping his voice steady rather than the throbbing pain in his side. Sejiuurou raised an eyebrow like he was about to argue. "I don't wanna take my pants off too. It's fine."

Sejiuurou sighed and nodded, grimacing and nodding at Ai's side now. "Alright. Lay back."

Ai nodded, sucking a hard breath in through his teeth as he lowered himself on the bed, hesitating before lifting his arm as far above his head as he could manage. He grit his teeth together harshly, gripping onto the sheets and giving Sejiuurou a small nod. The first press of his fingers was tentative and at the very edge of the bruising. He applied more pressure slowly, sliding his hand over the arch of Ai's ribs and pressing on each one. Ai struggled to lay still, breathing through his nose. He shouted despite himself when Sejiuurou's hand skirted the worst of the injury, clamping his other hand over his mouth and opening his eyes again quickly.

Sejiuurou had snapped his hand back, clenching it into a fist until Ai gave him another nod to continue. It took several more presses before he was satisfied that nothing was broken, his hand lifting away to rest on Ai's shoulder instead. "Okay, I need to see your back too."

Ai nodded, dropping his hand and closing his eyes for a second. He heard the door click shut again but ignored it in favor of gingerly rolling himself over. It would have been an awkward position to be in if it didn't make every muscle protest agonizingly. He glanced back at both Rin and Sejiuurou staring, biting the inside of his cheek to keep his teeth away from his already cut lower lip. It wasn't nearly as bad as having his side examined and Ai managed to keep himself from all but whimpering quietly. Sejiuurou nodded and patted his shoulder gently after a second, looking relieved as Ai sat himself up again.

"Well you didn't break anything, I guess that's good news," he tried for a smile and Ai almost laughed at how badly he failed at it. He leaned his shoulders on the bunk, turning now to face Rin and shaking his head. "What the fuck happened?"

"It's not his fault," Ai's voice sounded small to his own ears and he shook his head, clearing his throat a little before speaking again. It was still sore and he wondered how loud he must've been yelling. "It was my plan, and Rin couldn't hear what they were saying."

"Why didn't you run?" He questioned earnestly, shaking his head a little as he pulled Ai's shirt off the floor and handed it to him. Ai shrugged his shoulders and shook his head with a little sigh.

"I couldn't have, Nii-chan. I couldn't even talk," he glanced up at Rin with a soft smile, pulling himself off the bed with a groan. He tried to mask it quickly, rolling his eyes as both Rin and his brother put hands out to steady him. "I can walk just fine, thank you. Did your friends find them?"

He looked up at Rin with a tilt of his head. True to his word he did walk himself to the door, albeit slowly. He pulled the shirt back on with stiff arms, blinking his eyes a little as his head popped back out. Rin shook his head and nudged the door open for him, shrugging his shoulders. "Nagisa said he had a good lead on them, I'm sure they will."

"I hope they're careful," he sighed softly, making his way back across the hall after casting a smile back at Sejiuurou. "I'm gonna go right to bed, don't worry."

Sejiuurou grunted and reluctantly closed his own door, eyes narrowed at Rin's back. Ai almost groaned as he saw it, having forgotten entirely about the issue of Sejiuurou catching him kissing his roommate. Rin didn't seem to notice, surveying every step Ai took like he was waiting for his legs to give out and send him toppling. There was a flush on his cheeks and after a moment he turned his head away.

"You should take my bed tonight," he grumbled after a moment, cheeks growing redder. "S-so you don't have to deal with the ladder."

"Ah, that's a good idea. Thank you Rin-senpai," Ai smiled, half dragging himself over to his dresser for pajamas. Rin nodded, sitting down at his desk but glancing back at Ai every so often as he changed, telling himself if was only to make sure he didn't fall or need any help. Ai did well enough on his own, settling himself in the bed with a small grunt, laying on the side that wasn't injured. It forced him to keep his back turned to Rin and he closed his eyes with a mumbled good night.

Despite the tiredness seeping through his body, Ai couldn't keep his eyes closed for long. Every time the darkness closed in on his vision panic flowed white hot in his veins. He tried to breath steadily, staring intently at the wall and steady the trembling in his shoulders. He'd been more than enough trouble for the night, he didn't need to bother Rin with this too. He wasn't sure how long he spent laying like that, but when Rin's chair scraped across the floor as he stood Ai jumped so badly that the whole bed creaked.

"A-Ai? You still awake?" Rin spoke around a yawn, his voice sluggish. Ai nodded his head before shifting to sit up, feeling heat fill his face. He shrugged his shoulders a little.

"Y-yeah. I can't seem to sleep," he smiled even as Rin's face creased with worry. "You can go on to bed. I'll be fine."

Rin snorted at that, hesitating for a moment before walking the bed and looking down at Ai with a raised eyebrow. When Ai simply stared back at him Rin looked away as if he were irritated. 

"S-scoot over," he mumbled after a moment and Ai did, blinking as he nudged himself close to the wall. Rin nodded, sliding himself into the empty space on the bed with another long yawn. "Okay, now sleep."

"S-senpai?" He asked, still sitting upright and staring down at Rin's face as his eyes closed.

"You're scared right? I'll stay with you so you don't have to worry," he grumbled, tugging Ai's arm a little to get him to lay down. Ai shifted onto his side again and squeaked a little when Rin rolled to press against his back. It was far from a bad feeling though it was surprising. Rin blushed at the sound, wiggling away a little. "S-sorry."

Rather than respond Ai shifted so they were pressed together again, closing his eyes as he felt the solid warmth of Rin's body against this. It was comforting, and even with his heart beating faster in his chest Ai didn't feel the same frantic panic that he had before. Rin let one hand rest light as air on Ai's hip, mindful to keep his arm away from the bruising at his side. It was easy to fall asleep like that, Rin's breath puffing warm and slow against the back of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: More Nagisa, and we finally learn something about Ai's family. The plot marches onward.


	7. Chapter 7

Rin woke in the morning to his phone ringing, and with a heavy groan he untangled himself from Ai to roll and pick it up. He answered the call without looking to see who it was, regretting the choice almost instantly.

“Rin-chan! What was the other thing you wanted to ask me last night?” Nagisa's voice was far louder than was warranted at any hour of the day, but it seemed amplified while Rin was only half awake. He shifted reluctantly so he was sitting upright, conscious that Ai was still asleep.

“Did Haru and Makoto find those fuckers?” He asked, deciding to ignore Nagisa's opening question entirely. He planned on asking still, but there were more pressing matters on his mind at the moment. He kept his voice pitched low, one knee pulled up to his chest, stroking his fingers through Ai's hair idly.

“Nope! They couldn't find 'em... I don't think it's demons though,” Nagisa sounded way too cheerful for the topic at hand. “I think they're familiars.”

“W-what?” Rin hissed out, snapping his eyes closed and trying to keep his voice down. “You mean we might have a fucking witch?”

“That's usually what they mean!” He singsonged on the other end of the line, filled with the kind of glee that only comes from being Nagisa. “What was your question?”

“I want to help Ai find out about his family,” Rin glanced at Ai's sleeping face, feeling heat creep its way into his cheeks. His lip was still swollen from the cut in the middle and the mottled bruise above his eyebrow made him look even paler than usual. “Is that something you can do?”

“Mmm, well,” Nagisa paused, humming a tune to himself as he thought. Rin tried not to find it annoying, tilting his head back and huffing out a breath to calm himself. “I think so! Do you want me to come visit? Oh oh! Can I bring Rei-chan?”

"Ah, let me ask him first," Rin shook his head a little, rolling his eyes. "And why do you wanna bring him along anyway?"

"Rei-chan's really smart! He does all that potiony... Herbalizing stuff," Nagisa reasoned, giggling softly. "Call me when you wanna do it! Oh! You could bring Ai-chan here!"

"Yeah yeah, we'll see. Thanks, twerp," Rin smirked a little before hanging up, marveling for a second at the fact that Ai was actually still asleep. Part of him reasoned he should have already pulled himself out of the bed and left it at that, but instead he shifted himself so he was nudged against Ai's back once more, leaning his head between his shoulder blades to hide the frown that he couldn't quite wipe off of his face. Witches were no joke and if whoever it was had familars just wandering around it was an even worse sign. It wasn't long before Ai started to shift into wakefulness, rolling halfway toward Rin with a muffled groan.

"S-senpai?" He questioned then flushed when he recalled asking Rin to share the bed with him for a night. He wiggled so he was pressed against the wall, cheeks bright red as Rin simply rolled on his back with a smile. "G-good morning."

"Morning," Rin grinned up at him, raising an eyebrow and chuckling softly. "Feeling less sore? Let me take a look."

Ai nodded, looking a little confused still but lifting the side of his shirt with a diffused hiss, tilting his head as Rin stared at the bruising for a moment before nodding his head. He was a little glad Rin had asked; it gave him a moment to try and stop blushing quite as furiously, trying hard not to notice how Rin's messy hair and easy smile made him look almost soft. "D-did you sleep okay? I must've taken up a lot of space!"

"Nah, I slept fine," he shrugged, sitting up and pressing a gentle kiss to Ai's flaming cheek before sliding himself out of the bed with a stretch. "You should probably stay down here for a couple of days. Don't wanna strain yourself."

Ai could swear Rin chuckled his way through that whole sentence but decided not to comment, shifting away from the wall and shrugging his shoulders a little, pretending he wasn't touching the warm patch Rin's kiss had left on his cheek. "A-as long as you don't mind."

"I wouldn't suggest it if I did," Rin was absolutely chuckling, throwing Ai a devious grin before letting himself into the bathroom. Ai shook his head with a wide smile, wiggling the rest of the way off the bed and nibbling the inside of his lip. He wrinkled his nose as he looked in the mirror, pressing two fingers to the bruise over his eye with a little groan. He was less sore than expected though, and getting dressed didn't take near as long as it had the night before. 

Rin emerged a moment later, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Ai paused for just a moment, glancing at Rin in the mirror and shaking his head a little. He looked unreal, shirtless and brushing his teeth with the crinkle of a smile at the corner of his eyes.

“Did your friends find anything?” He asked, turning once he'd managed to pull his jaw away from the floor. Rin paused, turning and spitting into the sink before shaking his head.

“No, Nagisa said he thought it was familiars,” he paused, smiling at the furrow of concern between Ai's brows and resisting the temptation to kiss the little crease there until it eased. “You know a lot about witches?”

“J-just that they're usually pretty serious,” Ai tilted his head, mulling for a second. “I've never really understood the difference though.”

“Well witches start out as mages, even if they aren't hunters,” Rin sighed, sitting back on the bed and shaking his head. “But they go bad... They start hurting people, usually just to make themselves stronger.”

"So things like spell rituals and sacrifices?" Ai asked slowly, thinking back on the taboo's that had been taught to him since he was a small child. Rin nodded, his mouth set in a heavy frown. His eyes gaze was faraway for a moment, and when his attention snapped back he jolted a little finding Ai standing right in front of him. "H-have you had to fight a witch before Senpai?"

Rin shook his head, hesitating before turning his face away with a fist clenched at his side. "No, but my dad was killed by one."

"O-oh," Ai bit the inside of his cheek, taking a final step forward and wrapping his arms around Rin's bare chest, closing his eyes. He didn't say anything for a moment until Rin sagged his weight into the hug, resting his hand between Ai's shoulders. He expected to hear the typical sympathy from Ai's lips, so when he pressed his face in closer to Rin's skin and spoke again it was a surprise. "I'm scared to fight someone like that... Especially after last night."

Rin blinked softly and rubbed his hand up and down on Ai's back, leaning forward and resting his cheek on the top of Ai's head. "I... had a question for you, Ai."

Ai shifted like he was trying to look up at Rin, but decided instead to close his eyes and nod. Rin smiled a little more, preparing to extend the offer to help him learn about his parents. "Go out with me."

He could feel Ai's eyes flutter open again in surprise, and his mouth hung open a little as if trying to breathe the words back in. That was not what he had been planning on saying at all. He was surprised when Ai wiggled back enough to look at him, giggling.

"That wasn't a question," he grinned, leaning on his toes and planting a kiss on Rin's lips after his mouth snapped closed once again. Rin grinned, shrugging his shoulders and pressing his tongue gently into Ai's mouth, his thumb stroking circles on his back.

"You're right, it wasn't," he laughed when Ai dropped back to his feet, cheeks dusted with pink. "I asked Nagisa about it last night and he thinks he could help you remember your parents, but I need to know if that's something you wanna do?"

Ai paused at that, fingers still splayed on Rin's bare chest. He bit his lip once before hissing as his teeth landed on the cut in the middle. "I-I think so... But, can we not tell Seji for now?"

"Whatever you want. We can go to Iwatobi to meet up with them," Rin shrugged, pressing another soft kiss to Ai's lips before stepping back to finish getting dressed. He lifted his phone up with one hand, sending a quick text to Nagisa with a grin. "You probably will have to tell him we're dating though."

Ai groaned at that, covering his face with his hands. He looked up from between his fingers, eyes bright with amusement. "If he hits you I'm sorry."

Rin laughed, pulling a black shirt on and shrugging his shoulders. "Can't say I'd blame him, I'd probably do the same thing if Gou started dating her roommate."

His phone buzzed with a message from Nagisa containing more emoticons than actual words. Rin could only assume it meant it was okay to come see him and he looked at Ai with a raised eyebrow. "You sure you wanna do it today? We can lay around all day if you're sore."

"I'm okay Rin-senpai," he giggled, stretching his arms far above his head and doing a little hop in place. He cringed just a little as he landed but covered it with a smile so bright it was nearly blinding. Rin continued to look skeptical for a moment but relented with a little sigh, nodding Ai out the door ahead of him. He paused a moment after locking the door, slottiing his fingers through Ai's and holding his hand before turning to walk down the stairs, having to half drag him until the stunned surprise seemed to wear off. They sat close together on the train, shoulders brushing occasionally and fingers still laced together. Ai was his usual talkative self, and Rin found he was glad for it, even if he couldn't pay attention entirely to the descriptions of his classes.

Nagisa was milling around the station already when the pair stepped off, his eyes settling on their hands with a wide grin before he charged forward to hug Ai. His tight grip wound around Ai's sides, arm pressing into the bruises and making him shout and crumple in surprised pain. Nagisa let go instantly, Rin stumbling a little as Ai's hand wrenched away, looking down at Nagisa with a clipped growl. He dropped to one knee next to Ai, rubbing his back with the barest pressure, sharp teeth digging into his lower lip.

"You okay?" He asked softly, half-smiling as Ai nodded and pressed a hand to Rin's knee to push himself upright. Nagisa hung his head, wringing his hands together as Rin glared daggers down at him.

"Sorry Ai-chan! I forgot you got hurt," he smiled after Ai did, nodding his head with a hum of forgiveness. He could feel Nagisa's eyes peering keenly at his side but decided to ignore it rather than show off his injuries in public. He already looked beat up enough.

"Oi, twerp. Where are we going?" Rin asked as Nagisa turned to weave through the crowd of the station, his hand reaching out to take Ai's again without a hitch this time. Ai still smiled shyly, pressing close to Rin so he didn't get seperated.

"We're going over to Rei-chan's! He couldn't meet us but he's gonna help," Nagisa smiled and turned to lead the way, ignoring Rin's irritated sigh.

"You asked if he could right? We're not just gonna go bang down his door out of the blue?" Rin snorted as Nagisa didn't answer right away, waving his hand. Ai was surprised when rather than going to a house at all they wound up at a small temple, Nagisa hopping up the steps with a giggle. 

"Reeii-chaann!" He called once he reached the top, smiling blindingly as Rei emerged from a small building to the side, bright red glasses an odd counterpart to the traditional shrine clothes he was wearing. He blinked at Rin and Ai following in Nagisa's wake.

"Nagisa-kun, please keep your voice down. This is a place for quiet reflection, remember?" He scolded, pressing his palms together and giving all three of them a polite bow. "I suspect you're here about the subject we discussed last night?"

"Uh-huh! Make sure you don't hug Ai-chan, okay? He's all beat up," Nagisa smiled, pushing Rei forward a few steps. "C'mon let's go to your gardeny room!"

"I wasn't going to-" he started to protest before sighing and letting Nagisa bully him around the side of the main temple, waving at Ai and Rin to follow. "It is not a 'gardeny room', it is used for healing and alchemy. I've told you this before Nagisa-kun."

The small building he led them to was indeed gardeny, with potted plants lining the walls and a smaller patch of herbs just outside. There was a variety of vials and containers set to one side with other tools that Ai didn't recognize right away. Nagisa took a seat on the floor, tilting his head up at Rei and patting the wood next to him. Rin rolled his eyes before sitting, leaving space between himself and Nagisa for Ai to take. When they were settled Rei nodded his head, trying to adjust the wide-legged pants he was wearing so they wouldn't wrinkle.

"Right. Now we're hoping to recover Nitori-kun's memories, correct?" He asked, smiling as Ai nodded his head.

"Y-you can just all me Aiichirou, I don't really use my surname," he shrugged his shoulders, one hand still resting lightly on the side that was bruised. "I want to try and learn what I can about my parents. I'm um, adopted... Captain Mikoshiba is my older brother."

Nagisa gasped a little at that and Ai was surprised that Rin hadn't told him as much already. Rei looked curious for a moment before nodding his head and standing again, smiling. "I see! Well between Nagisa-kun and myself it should be a simple matter to help you recall. Do you know at what age you were adopted?"

"They vanished when I was five, after that I went to live with the Mikoshiba family," he was calm in explaining. It didn't really feel like a wound at all, he had never considered himself an orphan. All of his memories had parents and two brothers that loved him. The loss of his biological family was more fact than emotion. Rin still looked at him sadly, lifting an arm and draping it around his shoulders, smiling once Ai did.

"Excellent, your mind will have created and retained all of the memories of that time, even if you can't recall them," Rei sounded excited by the idea, plucking leaves off a variety of plants and gathering them on the worktable. "I can prepare something that will allow you to access them, and Nagisa-kun will help attune your mind to the proper subject matter."

"W-will I remember it all at once?" Ai asked, brows furrowed. Rei paused then shook his head, looking around before plucking a bright blue flower. 

"No, typically the memories will come in bits and pieces. Frequently people have dreams about them as well," he turned back, adjusting his glasses as Nagisa took both of Ai's hands. "Is there something specific you're hoping to remember?"

"I-I don't know really," Ai fidgeted a little, Nagisa still holding onto his hands with a calmer smile than usual. Ai's glance flitted over to Rin for just a second before he shook his head, squeezing Nagisa's hands a little and trying to readjust his legs. "I guess I just wanna see if it helps me understand things."

Nagisa tilted his head like he was dying to know exactly what those things might be but Rin glanced up at Rei's back and shrugged. "Any more news on the familiars?"

"Not yet," Nagisa pouted at Rin asking before he could jump Ai with more questions, letting go of his hands and shrugging his shoulders. "They're really hard to get a read on and I haven't actually had a vision about a witch."

"Is it possible they were something else?" Ai asked quietly, his fingers curling around the fabric of his light shirt, wondering for a moment how Rei could be comfortable in the heat with those heavy looking clothes. He didn't want to let his mind wander back to the creatures themselves, and he was surprised when Rin's hand came to rest on his back again, light as air.

"You said they had names, right Ai-chan?" Nagisa's eyes flickered over Rin's hand, a grin taking hold of his face. Ai nodded slowly, leaning his shoulder into the comforting touch.

"Yeah.. I only caught two of them though. Circe and Azazel," He shivered a little and Rin's hand rubbed his shoulder, leaning closer to where Ai was sitting. He was glad, having Rin curl up in bed with him was the only thing that had made him feel safe again. Nagisa nodded, curling his knees up to his chest and closing his eyes for a long moment. Rin raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to Ai's cheek when Nagisa's eyes closed, making his cheeks flush pink.

"I know what you're doing Rin-chan," Nagisa giggled, creaking one magenta eye open and grinning wickedly at the embarrassed look on Rin's face. "You aren't very subtle about it."

"Not like it's a secret," Rin grumbled, looking away and shrugging his shoulders. "I just don't wanna listen to you prattle about destiny or whatever."

"Nagisa-kun is quite enamored with the concept, even if I've explained multiple times that fate and destiny simply do not exist," Rei didn't look up from the concoction he was working on. Nagisa rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest with a little giggle. "I think I know what I'm talking about Rei-chan, since I do actually see the future."

"You see things that may happen in the future, those things aren't absolutes," Rei's retort sounded a little weary, like this was an argument that the two had many times before this. "Just because your predictions come true does not mean they were fated to do so."

"Do you mean Ai-chan and Rinrin or me getting you to hunt with us?" He giggled, giving the side of Rei's leg a nudge with his elbow. He turned back to Ai and Rin, miming pushing his glasses up and imitating Rei's voice. "Activities such as hunting cannot compare to the beauty of things like alchemical witchcraft. I could never be persuaded into such a brutish profession."

"That is not at all what I sound like Nagisa-kun! Nor is alchemy in any way related to witchcraft," Rei shook his head, turning with a roll of his eyes and passing a cup filled with a sparkling purple liquid to Nagisa. "Now, please aid Aiichirou-kun in finding the memories that he requires."

Nagisa passed the cup to Ai, tilting his hand back over his head with a wink. Ai nodded, downing it in several long sips and coughing a little after swallowing, wrinkling his nose. It didn't taste bad exactly, but it felt hot and tingly in his mouth and wasn't at all pleasant. Nagisa giggled softly at that, reaching his hands out and taking Ai's once again. "Okay okay, shut your eyes and try not to think about Rinrin."

Rin really wanted to scold Nagisa to quit calling him that, but instead he reluctantly dropped his hand away from Ai's shoulder, leaning against the wall and watching his face curiously. Nagisa went uncharacteristically quiet and still for a moment, his eyes still open but staring off at nothing. The magenta of his irises lightened, growing gradually brighter until they were actually glowing. Rei seemed fascinated, leaning as close as he dared to Nagisa's face.

"Haven't watched him channel before?" Rin asked, making sure to keep his voice low. Nagisa's focus during this was usually rock solid, but it was still wise not to be too distracting. Rei shook his head, looking over at Rin and pushing his glasses up.

"It's quite interesting, Nagisa-kun is full of surprises," he sounded strangely fond as he said it and Rin raised an eyebrow.

"I've always found it sorta eerie when he does it, especially since he's never this quiet by choice," Rin chuckled a little, shaking his head. "His visions used to be like this when we were kids. By the time I left he could at least do it without all the creepy glowing."

"He does seem distracted by them quite frequently," Rei observed, shifting and being careful not to touch either Ai or Nagisa. "I imagine it must be difficult trying to figure out what pieces of the future might come true."

"I think he likes it," Rin laughed softly again, leaning back on his hands. "It helps him meddle with everyone else if he knows what to look for. And he makes up prophecies to get you to do what he wants."

"H-he does?" Rei sounded scandalized, blinking his eyes. "How unethical of him! Clairvoyance is a very sought after and important gift!"

"He wouldn't do it with anything serious," Rin shrugged his shoulders, glancing at the light pouring out of Nagisa's eyes. "His fortune telling is usually dead on too. If he asks if you want a reading you should take it."

"I do not believe tarot cards can actually tell the future," Rei sniffed, shaking his head.

"They can if your reader is connected to it already," Rin lifted a hand, pressing it to the center of his forehead. "They let him look with his third eye."

"Does the Order educate students on these kinds of things?" Rei's eyebrow furrowed, blinking as Rin glared a little in response.

"The Order doesn't utilize clairvoyance," he sighed softly, shaking his head. "We learned about it from Sasabe. He was the areas senior hunter when we were growing up."

"Ah, I've met Sasabe-san. He took care of this area by himself before Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai were old enough didn't he? It must've been very difficult for a Warden," Rei blinked as Rin looked away quickly, rolling his shoulders.

"He used to have help," he grumbled, looking down at his hand and shaking his head a little jerkily. He was about to elaborate when Nagisa jolted with a shout, eyes going wide and yanking his hands back from Ai's quickly. The glow didn't die out from his eyes, Ai slumping to the side listlessly. The color of them changed by degrees, from their usual magenta to a burning blood red, mouth moving around words that didn't quite come out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for awhile this said it was only going to be 8 chapters, I've changed my mind on that. Next time: Nagisa roots around in Ai's mind, Makoto gets judo tossed.


End file.
